World Cup Incheon, Day Three: Pan Zhanle Takes Down World Cup Record in 800 Free; Regan Smith Claims 200 Back American Record
The second of three World Cup meets concluded Saturday in Incheon, Korea, with Pan Zhanle again showing off his distance freestyle skills, adding a World Cup series record in the 800 free to his earlier win in the 400 free, and Regan Smith posting another impressive backstroke performance, becoming the sixth woman ever under 2:00 in the 200-meter event after breaking the 100 back world record Friday.
In other events, Leon Marchand took down Daiya Seto in an exciting 400 IM battle while Noe Ponti, Pieter Coetze, Siobhan Haughey and Duncan Scott all continued their strong streak of performances in World Cup action. The series will conclude with one more meet next weekend, set to take place in Singapore.
Men’s 400 IM
Already with the fastest times ever in both the long course and short course yards versions of the 400 IM, Leon Marchand entered the all-time top-10 in the short course meters event as he triumphed over Japan’s Daiya Seto, the world-record holder in this event who has captured an incredible six consecutive short course world titles in the race. Marchand actually trailed Seto throughout this race, not overtaking his Japanese rival until halfway through the freestyle leg.
However, Marchand would put a full second on the field in the final meters, coming in at 3:58.30. Seto finished second in 3:59.43, while Italy’s Alberto Razzetti placed third in 3:59.43.
Men’s 800 Freestyle
Pan Zhanle, the 20-year-old Chinese swimmer who won Olympic gold in world-record time in the 100 freestyle in Paris, has shown this weekend in Incheon that he has incredible range. Two days after defeating a field of 400-meter specialists in the 16-lap race, he has now done the same over 800 meters, cruising to the top spot and a World Cup series record.
Pan was well behind Korea’s Kim Junwoo for much of the race, trailing by almost two seconds at the halfway point, but he surged after that, taking the lead at the 600-meter mark. He finished in 7:35.30, edging the World Cup record of 7:35.58 set by Gabriele Detti in 2017. Pan actually negative-split the event, his opening split of 3:48.31 followed by a back-half of 3:46.99.
Kim took second in 7:39.15, followed by Japan’s Kazushi Imafuku (7:40.77).
Women’s 100 Butterfly
A strong back half helped Finland’s Laura Lahtinen pull ahead of the field and claim the victory in 55.76. She cleared the field by four tenths, with Australia’s Lily Price placing second in 56.15 and China’s Yu Yiting edging Sweden’s Louise Hansson for third, 56.22 to 56.24.
Men’s 50 Butterfly
Switzerland’s Noe Ponti has been brilliant in the sprint butterfly events during the World Cup circuit, and he maintained that streak as he gave his own world record a shake in the 50 fly final. After turning a tenth behind Nyls Korstanje at the 25-meter mark, Ponti came home to finish in 21.76, nine hundredths behind his own top time from last week. In history, Szebasztian Szabo and Nicholas Santos are the only men to ever eclipse Ponti’s winning time here.
Korstanje, representing the Netherlands, ended up second in 21.99, and there was a tie for third, with Germany’s Marius Kusch and Australia’s Isaac Cooper each recording marks of 22.30.
Women’s 200 Backstroke
One day after breaking Kaylee McKeown’s world record in the 100 back, Regan Smith put up another dominant swim in the 200-meter race, never seriously challenging McKeown’s time of 1:58.94 set back in 2020 but becoming the sixth woman in history to break the 2:00-barrier in the short course meters version of the event.
Smith, who overtook fellow American Beata Nelson on the third length of the event, recorded a time of 1:59.60, breaking Missy Franklin’s American record of 2:00.03 from 2011. The only swimmers to ever go faster are McKeown, Katinka Hosszu, Minna Atherton, Darya Zevina and Emily Seebohm.
Second here went to Anastasia Shkurdai in 2:01.51, while fast-finishing Canadian Ingrid Wilm placed third in 2:03.23, two hundredths ahead of Nelson (2:03.25).
Men’s 100 Backstroke
One day after setting an African record in a winning performance in the 50 backstroke, Pieter Coetze took another victory in the 100. The South African trailed Poland’s Kacper Stokowski for most of the race, but he closed in 12.49 to touch first in 49.93. He was just off his African continental record of 49.35 set at last week’s stop in Shanghai.
Stokowski ended up second in 50.17, with Thomas Ceccon, the Olympic gold medalist in the event, coming in third at 50.41.
Women’s 50 Breaststroke
After moving up to No. 4 all-time in the 50 breaststroke at last week’s World Cup meet in Shanghai, China’s Tang Qianting had no trouble securing another win in the event in Incheon, beating Italy’s Benedetta Pilato, the former world-record holder in long course, by almost a half-second.
Tang, the Olympic silver medalist in the 100 breast, finished in 29.03, followed by Pilato in 29.48. Alina Zmushka placed third in 29.80, with Sweden’s Sophie Hansson the only other swimmer under 30 (29.98).
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Qin Haiyang barely qualified for the 200 breast final, securing the No. 8 spot in prelims, but the long course world-record holder won a head-to-head race against Australia’s Joshua Yong in the final to secure the win here.
With Qin leading for much of the race, Yong took over at the 150-meter mark and then extended the lead to almost four tenths entering the last 25. But Qin had an extra gear, closing in 15.44 to reach the wall in 2:02.57, ahead of Yong’s 2:02.73. The Netherlands’ Caspar Corbeau claimed third in 2:03.44.
Women’s 100 Freestyle
Siobhan Haughey completed the sweep of her signature events, the 100 and 200 free, as she emerged from a tight pack at the halfway point to secure the win in 51.73. Haughey is the fourth-fastest woman ever in the event at 50.79.
Poland’s Kasia Wasick, better known for her success in the 50-meter event, claimed second in 52.19, while a strong finish from Australia’s Milla Jansen helped her pass China’s Yang Junxuan for third, 52.26 to 52.29.
Men’s 200 Freestyle
Duncan Scott put together a dominant win, nearly picking off his own best time and Commonwealth record in the process. Up by a half-second at the halfway point, he eventually built a lead of 1.71 seconds as he pursued the 1:40 barrier, a mark only three men have ever beaten. He came up just short in 1:40.29, but that was only four hundredths off his own best time from 2020, which in turn ranks fifth all-time in the event.
Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys showed strong closing speed to take second in 1:42.00, with American Kieran Smith third in 1:42.36. Hwang Sunwoo, the only active swimmer to ever break 1:40, was in contention for most of the race, but he faded to fourth in 1:42.92.
Women’s 200 IM
China’s Yu Yiting is known for using strong butterfly and backstroke legs to propel herself through the medley, and she did that here as she held off Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey.
Yu, the World Championships bronze medalist in long course in 2017, finished in 2:04.73, a quarter-second behind her lifetime best of 2:04.48 which ranks eighth all-time. Harvey was second in 2:05.23, followed by Australia’s Tara Kinder (2:06.56).
