Sophia Walker posts personal best in butterfly at Zimmerberg-Cup

Sophia Walker, 12, of Limmat Sharks Zürich, swam a personal best in the 50m butterfly at the Int. Zimmerberg-Cup on September 20, 2025, in Wädenswil, Switzerland, finishing 12th in her age group.

Walker competed in four events at the short-course meet. Her strongest result came in the 50m breaststroke, where she placed 5th in 38.29 seconds with a FINA point score of 441. She also took 6th in the 50m freestyle in 31.39 seconds (FINA 425) and finished 12th in the 50m butterfly in 35.18 seconds, a personal best worth 334 FINA points. In the 100m individual medley, she clocked 1:18.78.

Several young swimmers earned their first podium in nearly two weeks. In the 25m freestyle, Malea Bill of Switzerland took 2nd in 19.39 seconds, her first top-three finish in 14 days. James Le Fleming Shepherd of Switzerland placed 2nd in the 25m backstroke in 24.54 seconds, also a first podium in 14 days. Emilia Sniegocki Schrader of Schwimmverein Baar reached the podium in the 50m breaststroke for the first time in 14 days, finishing 2nd in 44.38 seconds.

Other notable performances included 9-year-old Matteo Catania of Schwimm Club Flös, who won the 25m freestyle in 18.39 seconds with a personal best, and 13-year-old Carolina Papp of Limmat Sharks Zürich, who took gold in the 100m backstroke in 31.81 seconds. Eder Gerdes of Schwimmverein St. Gallen - Wittenbach, 22, reached the podium in four events after a 21-day wait, including a win in the 100m freestyle in 52.24 seconds.

Limmat Sharks Zürich led all clubs with 25 total podiums, including 13 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze. That placed the club first among 22 teams at the meet. Schwimmverein St. Gallen - Wittenbach finished second with 14 podiums (9 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze), and Schwimmclub Chur also collected 14 podiums (4 gold, 6 silver, 4 bronze) to tie for third.

The Zimmerberg-Cup brought together swimmers from Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Hungary and other nations, with many athletes setting personal bests across all age groups. For Walker, the meet offered a chance to race a new personal best in the butterfly while gaining experience in a competitive field.