Bend swimmer Campbell McKean ready for world championships in Singapore

Published 8:00 am Thursday, July 24, 2025

The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles certainly appear attainable for young Bend swimmer Campbell McKean.

But first, McKean is poised for the next-best international swimming event — the world championships.

McKean is set to compete for Team USA starting Saturday night at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore.

McKean, who graduated from Bend’s Caldera High in June, will swim in the 50-meter breaststroke and the 100 breaststroke after winning national titles in both those events last month in Indianapolis.

“I know that I deserve to be there because I have worked hard,” McKean said of the world championships. “Knowing that I worked hard to be there and knowing that I can compete with everyone.”

McKean, 18, is set to swim on Saturday night in heats of the 100 breaststroke, with the semifinals set for Sunday morning and the finals scheduled for Monday morning.

He will race in heats of the 50 breaststroke on Monday night, with the semifinals set for Tuesday morning and the finals scheduled for Wednesday morning.

The events are scheduled to air live on Peacock. For more information, visit peacocktv.com/sports.

At the U.S. Swimming National Championships in early June, McKean won the 50-meter breaststroke, edging veteran and former Olympic champion Michael Andrew. McKean’s time was 26.90 seconds, with Andrew following in 26.92.

McKean followed up with a resounding win in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 58.96, the No. 2 time in the world this year and a 17-18 national age-group record. It makes McKean the fastest-ever 100 breaststroker age 18 or younger. The victories earned McKean the trip to Singapore, and he is now the fifth-fastest American ever in the 50 breaststroke and sixth fastest in the 100 breaststroke.

McKean, who competes for Bend Swim Club and trains at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, won multiple OSAA state championships and broke numerous Oregon records while swimming for Caldera High. He competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials last year and is headed to the University of Texas on a swimming scholarship this fall. The Longhorns are coached by Bob Bowman, a four-time U.S. Olympic Team coach and former coach of 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps.

While the world championships are front of mind for McKean, it is not too early to start thinking about the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He has been touted by many swimming pundits as the “the next great breaststroker” for the U.S. men.

“I feel like it is within reach,” McKean said, talking about competing in the Olympics. “It is still three years away. But since it is three years away, a lot of change can happen. But I think I can grasp what I can do.”

His performances at the national championships proved that he belongs on the starting blocks alongside the world’s top swimmers.