Two world records were set at the final stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup by Noe Ponti and Regan Smith
American Regan Smith needed a world record in the 200m backstroke if she would become the overall winner of the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, as she needed to collect enough points to overtake American teammate Kate Douglass.
Smith was able to break the world record in the 200m backstroke, swimming 1:58.83 to take Kaylee McKeown’s 1:58.94 from November 2020 off the books. However, it wasn’t enough to overtake Douglass overall, who won the title with 178.5 points to Smith’s 178.4.
“Feels good,” Smith said of the world record. “I knew that I'd have to break the world record if I wanted to pass Kate in the overalls, and I couldn't quite do it. I'm a tenth of a point behind her. But we have been having so much fun over the course of these three stops, pushing each other. So it's been a blast. This is a World Cup. Is so much fun, and I want to keep doing it in future years.”
“It was a lot of fun,” Douglass said of the World Cup. “This is something I've never really done before. I like this experience. There's no other meet you get all these other international swimmers and just do this whole experience together. And I think it makes swimming a little bit more fun than usual.”
Overall, Smith finishes the World Cup circuit with world records in the 100m and 200m backstroke, as she will be back in six weeks at the World Short Course Championships in Budapest in December.
“I want to go to short course worlds and have just as much fun as I had here,” Smith said. “I think life is too short to take stuff like this so seriously, and this has been I can't say it enough, I've been having so much fun, and that's what swimming should be. And so I think my goal at short course worlds is to swim fast and enjoy it.”
Douglass won the 100m freestyle to deny Siobhan Haughey of a triple crown with a new American record at 50.82 to put herself fifth all-time in the event.
“I'm happy with that. I was just kind of excited thinking about swimming 100 free today,” Douglass said. “I haven't really done this event in short course meters, so I had no expectations. But I wanted to try to break the American record tonight. I wanted to get under 51 so I was very happy with that.”
Haughey finished second at 51.56, a season best.
France’s Leon Marchand was the overall men’s winner of this World Cup, winning the 400m IM at 3:58.45 on Saturday for his third triple crown of the circuit.
“It was good. It was a really good pace,” Marchand said. “A little bit too much on the fly. I was trying to keep my legs on the backstroke and then push the rest because this is my main thing. I don't think the freestyle would have been better, but it was a good race. I wanted to be a bit faster on the 400m IM but the 200m free was really good. So I'm happy with it.”
Marchand claimed 175.7 points off the backs of his world record in the 200m IM last night. Switzerland’s Noe Ponti finished second at 171.9, as he set a world record this morning in the 50m butterfly at 21.50, but was unable to match that in the final, winning the triple crown at 21.64.
“I saw the other guys were swimming very fast, so I think it's a fast pool,” Ponti said this morning. “And I wasn't really expecting to swim a world record because I started to feel tired and everything. But I think I did a perfect race so there isn't much to say.”
Ponti’s time tonight is the second fastest time in history as he lowered the world record previously in Shanghai. Before this World Cup, the record stood at 21.75, as Nyls Korstanje finished second tonight at 21.74.
“Tonight was important to win the race and bring on the crown and that's it,” Ponti said. “And I think I made some mistakes in the first breakout and second breakout. So it wasn't the perfect race as this morning, but still 21 before it would have been the world record again. So simply amazing and I'm very happy.
“It's never easy to reset something after such a race, because there is so much adrenaline, you're so awake, you have so much energy, that it's hard also to go to hotel, take a nap and preset and everything. But I think I'm just relaxed. I'm doing what I'm doing. I know that time right now I'm the best one, so there isn't much to worry about.”
Singapore’s Tzen Wei Teong finished second at 22.11, much to the delight of the Singapore crowd as he went 21.98 in the heats to just miss the Asian record.
“I tried to absorb the crowd’s energy,” Teong said. “Feels good - a bit slower than this morning but just thankful that I got it. But you should never be satisfied. Always want more, you know, chase bigger goals and faster times. I think I was very long into my finish, so I have to go watch the video and find out why.”
Great Britain’s Duncan Scott finished third overall with 167.8 points as he finished off the three weeks of racing with his best swim in the 200m freestyle, touching at 1:39.83 to move up to fourth all-time. It’s a British record and the first time he’s broken 1:40 as he is the fourth ever to do so.
“It was good,” Scott said. “(Close to world record) it’s difficult. It's obviously swam differently, because it was in a body suit, so (he’s) going to come back really strong. But I felt great. And it's just gonna spur me on for years to come with trying to chase that little bit more. But really happy first time I went sub 1:40 for it.
Scott finished the triple crown as he finished ahead of France’s Marchand (1:40.91) and China’s Pan Zhanle (1:41.59).
“I just love racing at the end of the day,” Scott said. “The money's obviously an added bonus. And it's great that the World Aquatics will put on events like this and a bit more cash and it'd be great. Nice to see maybe a little bit more but the world records have been great to see and witness. So I just love racing and to have those boys in there, it was good fun.”
Two more triple crowns were collected on Saturday in Singapore, starting with South Africa’s Pieter Coetze, who backed up his triple crown from the 200m backstroke yesterday. Coetze won the 100m backstroke at 49.36 over Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon (49.68).
“That's a lot of fun,” Coetze said. “I'm tired now, though I'm glad to be done.
“I just learned a lot about how to race. The more you race, the better you become at it. So I think that's what I learned. And also to not expect too much and just take it as it comes.
“I'll just go back into training now for a few months, and then my next goal is actually World Champs here in Singapore next year. So I'm gonna go work for that now. And that's probably the next big thing.”
China’s Tang Qianting followed up with a triple crown in the next event, the 50m breaststroke, with a 28.87, just off her lifetime best of 28.76 from two weeks ago in Shanghai.
Tang, who won Olympic silver in Paris in the 100m breaststroke, followed up her triple crown in the 100m yesterday, as she was unbeaten across the six sprint breaststroke events the last three weeks.
“I’m really happy with the results I’ve gotten, especially with the Triple Crown,” Tang said. “It has been quite a long meet for the last few days, and I did feel quite tired and exhausted right in the middle. Now I’m looking forward to going back home to rest for a couple of days. I will take some time to relax, recharge and prepare for Budapest.”
Sweden’s Louise Hansson denied Finland’s Laura Lahtinen the triple crown in the 100m butterfly final with Hansson winning at 55.46, while Lahtinen was third at 55.96 behind Japan’s Mizuki Hirai (55.81).
“It was nice to be able to see a 55,” Hansson said. “I felt like the last two weekends and the last 25m I haven't had any power in my legs, and there was a little bit more today. So I'm happy the body responded when I was trying to push it.
“When you step back behind the blocks, you always try to get your hands first to the wall and Laura has been so impressive this whole series, like just been a great, great competitor and really amazed at what she's been putting up.”
China’s Yu Yiting swam a lifetime best in winning the 200m IM at 2:03.99, moving up to sixth all-time at age 19.
“I’m feeling very good and the Swimming World Cup has been an interesting experience,” Yu said. “Now the competition has ended, and it’s been perfect. This win means a lot to me because today is the last day and I was swimming in the last event. With all the fans cheering me on, I didn’t want to lose. My motto when I swim is ‘Fly Until Die’; it can be quite challenging to stick to this at times and it can be quite painful during the race. My next goal is to improve in the long course events and achieve better results.”
China’s Qin Haiyang touched first in the 200m breaststroke final, running down Caspar Corbeau in the process, but Qin was disqualified, and Corbeau was the winner at 2:02.33 as he swam a best time and moved up to 19th all-time.
“I saw Qin touched first I thought but unfortunately he was disqualified,” Corbeau said. “But regardless of the result, I was happy to race all the best in the world and put up a decent time for now. Just strong, smooth first 100m then increase the stroke rate a bit, and of course, it hurts on the last 50m. I saw him there, so I'm proud. I think everyone should be proud of what they've done here, it's amazing. I'm looking forward to hopefully coming back in the summer for the World Championships and racing again.”
Katie Grimes of the United States also won the 800m freestyle at 8:14.36.
“It just didn't go as planned, but also I was just trying to keep a good technique and try and push my weaknesses,” Grimes said. “So it was a struggle going that far at this point in the season, but it was good. I didn't really have anything that I was shooting for time wise, so I'm not disappointed or satisfied but it's good for right now I guess.
“I will just get back to training, and have a really good meet in December.”
The World Short Course Championships will be held in Budapest, Hungary from December 10 - 15th.