The 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup is coming to a close this weekend in Singapore, the site of next summer’s World Aquatics Championships. With this weekend on the horizon, it’s an important racing tool for many after three weeks in Asia.

Even with the Olympics finishing less than three months ago, the racing has been fast and world and national records have fallen.

Thirteen total swimmers are in line for a triple crown in various events, with a $10,000 bonus in effect for those that win the same event three weeks in a row.

It’s not an easy task to race three weeks in a row consistently against the world’s best, but these athletes have made it happen, and have a chance to finish off the World Cup circuit with a big end.

Here are those in line for a triple crown, along with their biggest challengers.

Pieter Coetze - 100m, 200m backstroke

South Africa’s Pieter Coetze, fresh off of two African records in Paris in the backstroke finals, the 20-year-old Coetze has kept the momentum rolling into short course meters, scoring lifetime bests in the 100m and 200m backstroke in Shanghai.

Even with the presence of Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon in the 100m and underwater specialist Lorenzo Mora, Coetze hasn’t lost yet. Ceccon is his biggest adversary, but Coetze is on a tear this year and it could continue to next summer. If Coetze can finish off two triple crowns, it could be the start of something special for him. 

Noe Ponti - 50m, 100m butterfly

Switzerland’s Noe Ponti has been swimming better than he ever has on this World Cup circuit. After missing out on a medal in Paris in the 100m butterfly, Ponti responded with a world record in the 50m butterfly and a European record in the 100m in Shanghai.

With the way he’s been swimming, it’s hard to see Ponti getting beat, but look no further than Nyls Korstanje of the Netherlands to potentially spoil the party this weekend. Korstanje was on Ponti’s heels at both stops of the World Cup, and has the speed to take him down.

Also keep an eye out for Singapore’s Tzen Wei Teong in his home nation. Teong’s specialty is the 50m butterfly, where he won silver at the Asian Games last year and the Commonwealth Games the year prior. Teong comes in fresh, and he will be looking to represent his nation proudly this weekend.

Kasia Wasick - 50m freestyle

After a fifth place finish in Paris, Poland’s Kasia Wasick has been largely untouchable in the 50m freestyle across the last two weekends. With one more weekend to go, Wasick’s biggest challenger to a triple crown could be from China’s Zhang Yufei and Yang Junxuan.

Wasick has been as fast as 23.51 this calendar year, while Zhang (24.05) and Yang (24.11) have yet to break 24. Once Wasick enters the pool and gets going, she’s hard to slow down, and at age 32, she’s shown no signs of slowing down, even after completing a fifth trip to the Olympics.

Kate Douglass - 100m IM, 200m breast, 50m butterfly

Olympic champion Kate Douglass broke her first individual world record last week in Incheon in the 200m breaststroke as she has a chance to go even faster this weekend in Singapore. Douglass has seemingly gotten better and better each year as she is vying for the overall World Cup crown alongside teammate Regan Smith.

Douglass has been untouchable in her three triple crown races and that is expected to continue this weekend in Singapore. The 100m IM is where she is most vulnerable right now as China’s Yu Yiting has challenged her the first two meets this season. Douglass has been steady with two 56.9’s in a row, while Yu was 57.51 in Shanghai.

What does Douglass do in her last go around this weekend?

Leon Marchand - 100m, 200m, 400m IM

France’s Leon Marchand had a storybook showing at a home Olympics earlier this summer and hasn’t slowed down at all even after perhaps the best meet of his life, where he won four gold medals individually on home soil.

Marchand is in line for three triple crowns in all three IM races. In the 100m, the aforementioned Ponti tied him in Shanghai, and was 0.01 behind in Incheon, and the third meeting between the two is expected to be close once more.

In the 200m, he’s set to race Olympic silver medalist Duncan Scott, who is swimming very well at the moment. The 400m is likely to be Marchand’s best chance at completing a triple crown with the absence of world record holder Daiya Seto.

Mary-Sophie Harvey - 400m IM

Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey has resurrected her career this year in the 400m IM, scoring a lifetime best in Incheon last week as she had a tough race on her hands with Yu Yiting. Yu has won five silvers this World Cup circuit as she has a chance to spoil a lot of triple crowns this weekend.

Harvey is swimming better than she ever has before, though. Will that be enough to hold off Yu one more time in Singapore?

Siobhan Haughey - 100m, 200m freestyle

Hong Kong, China’s Siobhan Haughey has been swimming consistently well in her two best events, the 100m and 200m freestyle, the events she won bronze in in Paris this summer. Haughey has been consistently 51’s and 1:51’s through the first two stops.

If someone is going to beat her, they know what it’s going to take. In the 100m, China’s Yang Junxuan is again the top challenger, swimming 52.11 in Shanghai. In the 200m, American Claire Weinstein enters the fray after finishing 15th in the 10km at last week’s World Cup in Hong Kong. Weinstein has had a good year, finishing eighth in Paris in the 200m freestyle and was also the World Junior champ in the 7.5km shortly after.

Regan Smith - 100m, 200m backstroke

American Regan Smith set a world record in the 100m backstroke last weekend in Incheon, and the 200m could be next. Smith is vying for the overall World Cup crown as she is 0.1 points ahead of fellow American Kate Douglass.

It’s hard to foresee anyone taking Smith down as she has dominated the backstroke events thus far. Even with the addition of Australia’s Iona Anderson and fellow American Katie Grimes to the picture, they don’t have the speed or underwater kicks to match Smith in either triple crown race.

Qin Haiyang - 50m breaststroke

It was a disappointing Olympics for Qin Haiyang individually as he was seventh in the 100m breaststroke and out of the 200m final altogether. Qin has had some speed this World Cup circuit, swimming the world’s fastest time in the 50m breaststroke at 25.38 in Shanghai.

Qin’s biggest challenger will be Ilya Shymanovich, who was 25.51 in Shanghai, as well as Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi, who has perhaps the best start in the world.

Qin has won the first two finals by virtue of his last 15 meters, so his competitors will need to beat him on the start and the turn if they are to deny his quest for a triple crown.

Tang Qianting - 50m, 100m breaststroke

In the women’s breaststroke field, China’s Tang Qianting has been knocking on the door of the world record, getting 0.17 seconds off of the mark in Shanghai. Tang, the Olympic silver medalist, has dominated the pretty strong field that has included Olympic finalists Alina Zmushka and Benedetta Pilato.

No other woman has broken 1:04 this year, while Tang has been 1:02 five times. In the 50m, Tang is equally as dominant, sitting seven tenths ahead of Pilato in the world rankings this year.

Trenton Julian - 200m butterfly

American Trenton Julian cut it close last week alongside Olympic champion Chad Le Clos as Julian won by 0.07 to put himself in position for a triple crown in the 200m butterfly. It may not be easy for Julian, although he has raced well the first two weeks.

Le Clos is always dangerous at the World Cup, and Italy’s Alberto Razzetti and Estonia’s Kregor Zirk have been lurking as well through the first two stops. Julian leads the world rankings for 2024, but the margins have been tight, and he will have a race on his hands for the third straight week.

Laura Lahtinen - 100m butterfly

Finland’s Laura Lahtinen has been a breakout star this month, moving herself up to 21st all-time from her swim in Shanghai. Lahtinen has been as fast as 55.58 this year, which puts her ahead of China’s Yu Yiting (55.94) and Sweden’s Louise Hansson (56.07) in the world rankings.

Lahtinen’s strength lies on the last 25 meters as the 21-year-old is on a tear after not swimming in the Olympics this summer. She has come up this month as a triple crown contender and that could set her up big for the coming years. 

Duncan Scott - 200m freestyle

Great Britain’s Duncan Scott is getting better and better at age 27 as his 1:40.29 last week in Incheon is just off his lifetime best. Scott has been gaining confidence from his World Cup performances as he has been hinting at building something big for next summer’s Worlds and with the last stop being in that same city of Singapore, this could be a dress rehearsal for what is to come from Scott.

Scott’s biggest challengers will be Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys and American Kieran Smith, although they clearly have their work cut out for them if they want to take down Smith as it may take sub-1:40 to win the 200m freestyle.