Budapest 2024: Noè Ponti Focused On His Own Lane As He Brings 2024 To A Close
Noè Ponti will arrive in Budapest at the end of a year in which he secured two top-five finishes in Paris, set world and European s/c records and started his military service in Switzerland.
The Swiss athlete twice lowered the 50 fly s/c world record during the World Cup, knocking 0.17 off his own mark at the final leg in Singapore in 21.50.
Ponti now owns the four fastest times in history, all set during a whirlwind fortnight in October and November before he reported for duty with military service mandatory for Swiss men.
Noè Ponti: Photo Courtesy: European Aquatics
Following him in the all-time rankings is Nyls Korstanje, with a Dutch record of 21.74 as he finished second behind Ponti in the 50 and 100 fly at each World Cup round, and Szebasztian Szabo and Nicholas Santos, who had jointly held the WR of 21.75.
Korstanje and Szabo will join him at the short-course worlds but despite his place atop the world, Ponti remains modest, aware of how quickly sport can change.
He told Swimming World:
“Right now I’m the fastest butterflyer ever. For now – maybe not for long, but right now, yes. I am not the man for sure.”
The 23-year-old also set a European 100 fly standard of 48.40 during the opening leg in Shanghai and finished second in the men’s overall rankings behind Leon Marchand.
Ponti describes Marchand as “one of the best athletes – not just swimmer – in the world” but he’s focused on himself.
“It doesn’t really matter if I am going to swim against Leon or Kristof Milak or Thomas Ceccon or anyone else: it is up to me to swim my race.
“As I’m aware they are there, they are aware that I’m there.”
His record-breaking fortnight followed his second Olympic Games in Paris, three years after 100 fly bronze in Tokyo, where he missed the 100 podium by one place and 0.10 behind Ilya Kharun and finished fifth in the 200, matching the 1:54.14 Swiss record he’d set in the semis.
While he “did a great job” in Paris, Ponti didn’t accomplish what he wanted to.
Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
“I’m aware that I’m worth more than a fourth and a fifth place. Sadly, I couldn’t show it at the Olympics in Paris so hopefully it’s going to be better in the next years.
“Still, I’m happy I can race against some of the best swimmers ever and I’m always confronting myself and them.
“Also to call them my friends many of them. It’s a nice moment to swim – it’s never going to be easy – neither for me nor for them.”
Ponti, who won three medals across the previous two editions at Melbourne 2022 and Abu Dhabi 2021, is the fastest seed into the 50 and 100 fly at the Duna Arena.
In the absence of Marchand – who withdrew last week citing exhaustion – he also heads the 100 and 200IM.
There’s also a tilt at the 50 free in which he set a national standard of 21.18 at last month’s Swiss Championships.
There will be no 200 fly though with Ponti telling Swimming World last month that he intended to take a long break from an event in which he struggles, physically and mentally.