For the second straight week, American Kate Douglass swam the fastest 200 meters of breaststroke in a short course venue, swimming 2:12.72 on the first night of the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Singapore. Douglass broke her own record she set last week in Incheon at 2:14.16.

This week, she took it a step further and claimed a triple crown along the way.

“I definitely don't think I expected 2:12,” Douglass said. “I did kind of have a feeling that I had that kind of race in me after last weekend. I feel like if I actually came into the race expecting to break the world record, then maybe I could surprise myself there and I did.

“I kept the same stroke count as I did last week. I just kind of tried to really be more powerful, which you with the stroke and just push it that last 50.”

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Douglass hasn’t slowed down since she broke on to the international scene in 2021 and has brought the 200m breaststroke into another stratosphere with her swim here, as she is nearly two full seconds ahead of the former world record of Rebecca Soni (2:14.57).

And Douglass wasn’t done. Later in the session, she claimed her third straight win in the 100m IM for another triple crown, touching at 56.57, moving herself up to third on the all-time list.

Thus far, all the people in line for triple crowns claimed them, four crowns being handed out Thursday night.

France’s Leon Marchand became just the second man after Caeleb Dressel to break 50 seconds in the 100m IM, swimming 49.92 to move up to second on the all-time list. Marchand won convincingly over Switzerland’s Noe Ponti after the two were separated by a combined 0.01 the last two weekends in this race. On Thursday, Marchand won by 0.47 over Ponti as the former set the European record in the process, winning his seventh IM race this World Cup circuit with two more to go.

“I knew that was the technique - to go out faster than last week,” Marchand said. “I had to be way faster on the fly and backstroke and that’s what I did so it was a good race. I’m really grateful for those guys. It’s been really fun since the first day so it’s been amazing to race those guys and I’m really happy for it.”

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Ponti was able to complete his own triple crown with a win in the 100m butterfly at 48.60. It wasn’t a best time, but he had a race on his hands, with Nyls Korstanje (49.12) following him in second, and Singapore’s hometown hero Tzen Wei Teong (49.37) in third.

“The race was hard but very good,” Ponti said. “I'm happy to have won the Triple Crown. It’s amazing. I think I spent very well throughout the three weeks, plus now I made my PB so I’m happy. It was close as always as the other races. Very nice crowd. It’s awesome. It makes me happy and I look forward for next year.”

Teong was leading at 50 meters before Ponti out-kicked him on the third 25m. This bodes well for Teong in the 50 meters as Singapore’s best swimmer at this meet, while Ponti will be going for a triple crown in that as well.

“It was a good race,” Teong said. “I tried to do my best and I made my PB so I’m happy. I tried to go harder in the first lap and to go out. I’m very excited to swim in front of a home crowd. It feels good and they gave me energy.”

With two days remaining of the World Cup, Ponti is leading the points standings over Marchand and China’s Qin Haiyang, who won the 100m breaststroke at 55.61, running down Ilya Shymanovich in the final 10 meters once again. Shymanovich looked to be on his way to another win, but Qin found another gear on the last 25m, and ran down the world record holder, with Shymanovich winning silver at 55.72.

“That result was a surprise for me,” Qin said. “I didn't think too much for the race and just focused on doing my best. It was better than the last stops but I feel much better than the race in the last week, clearly. It’s always good to win against those good swimmers and I hope next time I still beat them. Singapore has so much passion and I love it.”

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One of the best swims of the day came from Great Britain’s Duncan Scott, who has been swimming very well the last two weekends at the World Cup. Tonight, he swam 3:34.46 in the 400m freestyle, moving up to sixth on the all-time list and lowering his best time by two and a half seconds to also set the British record.

“400m free is still an event I'm learning,” Scott said. “I've really enjoyed racing those boys over the last few weeks, this is the third week, so just getting in there and learning. And I don't really have any fear about what's going to happen. And, yeah, I'm really happy with that.”

Scott is also in line later in the week for a triple crown in the 200m freestyle where a world record is not out of the question, and will also give Leon Marchand a run for his money in the 200m IM.

“Every day is a new one and obviously that's something, it's a slightly different brush that I've never had, trying to defend something that's not quite there,” Scott said. “And so, yeah, the last day I'm gonna have to pull something out because the targets on my back and they're all gonna be ready to try and get after me.”

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Scott is fifth overall in the World Cup standings with 130.5 points behind the likes of South Africa’s Pieter Coetze (130.9) who claimed his first triple crown of the weekend by winning the 200m backstroke at 1:49.88.

“Achieving triple crown was very nice,” Coetze said. “I didn't try to think about it too much before. I just saw it as another race but to get us a lot of effort. Definitely racing this much in the span of three weeks, it's tough on the body, but definitely I still have some more in me for these next few days so, and then I'm excited to go home and spend some time with the family.”

It’s not a best for Coetze, but he won for the third straight week and will have an opportunity to do that again in the 100m later on. Coetze had a stellar junior career, culminating in 200m backstroke gold at the 2022 World Juniors, and after two finals appearances at these Olympics in Paris, this appears to be the start of something big for Coetze.

With next year’s Worlds also in Singapore, this is good practice for him and all the athletes ahead of next summer.

“Competing against world class swimmers is also always important, and I don't get to do it that often, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to do that,” Coetze said. “The crowds here are awesome. It's way more packed than I thought it would be, and the fans are just so supportive, and I'm really enjoying being in Singapore, I'll definitely come back.”

Another swimmer who has been swimming well is American Regan Smith, who claimed the 50m backstroke win on Thursday at 25.48, lowering her own best time to sit fourth all-time as she has triple crown potentials tomorrow and Saturday in the 100m and 200m backstroke, where more world records could fall.

“That was a good swim,” Smith said. “I was 25.7 at Shanghai and Incheon, so it's nice to get a bit faster tonight. And it's Halloween, so I'm having fun. I came out in a little costume, and, yeah, I'm enjoying it.”

Poland’s Kasia Wasick was able to complete her triple crown in the 50m freestyle, winning at 23.23 as she was just off her best of 23.10 from two years ago.

“I feel amazing,” Wasick said. “Being able to improve from World Cup to World Cup, it's very important. I'm going into a good direction and looking forward to World Champs in Budapest in December. That was a good race. I think it was my second best time so I'm really excited. And the crowd is amazing.

“Honestly, I had a blast going from the first World Cup in China to Korea to now Singapore. It's been really amazing. And the crowd was amazing in every location. I've been getting faster from the meet to meet so they have to give me definitely, like a kick and a power to go forward.

“I was hoping to get the Triple Crown. That’s why I came here. I won the crown in 2022 and last year I couldn’t attend the World Cup so coming to this year I was hoping that. Obviously, I had to take one step at a time to make it happen, and I’m really happy with the results.”

Wasick was able to win ahead of China’s Yang Junxuan (23.89) and Siobhan Haughey (24.00) of Hong Kong, China, who showed off her Halloween costume in the process.

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Brittany Castelluzzo (200m butterfly) of Australia and Dylan Carter (50m freestyle) of Trinidad & Tobago also claimed wins on Thursday night in Singapore. Castelluzzo moved up to 28th all-time at 2:03.44, while Carter swam 20.82, just off his best of 20.70.

American Katie Grimes won the 400m freestyle at 3:57.61 in her 2024 World Cup debut, moving herself up to 21st all-time.

“The crowds are amazing,” Grimes said. “I think it’s great whenever swimming can have a large audience like this and Singapore has done a great job.”

The Singapore stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup will continue tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. local time with finals commencing at 6:30 p.m.