World Cup Singapore, Day 1: Leon Marchand Becomes Second Man Inside 50Secs En-Route To 100IM Triple Crown; Trebles For Ponti, Wasick & Coetze
Leon Marchand became only the second man inside 50 seconds in the 100IM as he moved within sight of Caeleb Dressel’s world record at the final World Cup stop in Singapore.
The Frenchman, who won four golds at Paris 2024, stopped the clock at 49.92 for the third-fastest time in history in what was also a European and World Cup record as he claimed the Triple Crown by winning the four-length event at all three stops of the tour.
Noè Ponti, Katarzyna Wasick and Pieter Coetze also claimed the Triple Crown in the 100 fly, 50 free and 200m backstroke respectively.
Kate Douglass also commanded the spotlight with a crushing 200m breaststroke world record of 2:12.72 en-route to the Triple Crown before returning 18 minutes later to claim the treble in the 100IM.
Qin Haiyang set an Asian 100m breaststroke record of 55.61 while Duncan Scott produced the seventh-fastest 400m freestyle all-time as he crushed the 10-year British record.
Women’s 400m Freestyle
Katie Grimes was ahead throughout the race before Mary-Sophie Harvey, winner in Incheon last week, made her move to eat into the American’s lead.
Just 0.34 separated the pair at the final turn but Grimes lengthened her stroke to win in 3:57.61 with Harvey second in 3:58.21 as both the top two went inside 4mins. Claire Weinstein was third in 4:00.17.
Men’s 400m Freestyle
Pan Zhanle, the 100 free Olympic champion and world record-holder, won this event in Incheon last week. and booked lane one in the final.
However, it was Duncan Scott who took the race by the scruff of the neck by the 75m mark and turned first ahead of Kieran Smith at 100m with Pan fourth.
The Briton, who was second last week after winning the 16-length race in Shanghai, was tickling Yannick Agnel’s WR as he left the field well behind.
Scott came home in 3:34.46, the seventh fastest in history, as he obliterated James Guy’s British record of 3:36.35 that has stood since the 2014 World Short-Course Championships.
The eight-time Olympic medallist hauled himself on to the lane ropes and put his finger to his lips, a smile on his face.
Smith was second in 3:36.97 with Pan third in 3:38.79.
Scott, who added victory to first in Shanghai and second in Incheon, said: “The 400m free is still an event I’m learning. Yeah, really happy with that. 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.”
The University of Stirling swimmer, who anchored the Great Britain 4×2 squad to a second straight Olympic triumph in Paris, is one win away from the 200 free treble.
He finds himself in new territory, saying: “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. And so, yeah, the last day I’m going to have to pull something out because the targets on my back and they’re all going to be ready to try and get after me.”
Women’s 50m Backstroke
Regan Smith split 12.65/12.83 to claim her seventh top spot of the World Cup tour in 25.48 and lowered Claire Curzan’s American record of 25.54 in the process.
Iona Anderson (25.95) and Ingrid Wilm (25.98) were second and third respectively.
Men’s 200m Backstroke
Pieter Coetze was one step away from winning the Triple Crown following victories in Shanghai and Incheon.
The South African posted 1:55.96 in prelims behind Lee Juho (1:54.95) and Kacper Stokowski with the Pole going 1:55.44.
He led throughout with Lorenzo Mora the only man keeping him company. The Italian has big underwaters but Coetze extended his lead to 1.29secs at 150 before coming home in 1:49.88 to claim victory and the Triple Crown as well as a US dollars 10,000 bonus.
Mora was second in 1:51.07 with Jack Dahlgren of the USA touching out Lee for third in 1:52.80.
Next up for Coetze is the 100 back in which he can claim a second treble.
He said: “Achieving the triple crown was very nice. I didn’t try and think about it too much before. I just saw it as another race but to get it is a lot of effort. Definitely racing this much in the span of three weeks, it’s tough on the body, but I definitely still have some more in me for these next few days and then I’m excited to go home and spend some time with the family.”
Women’s 200m Butterfly
Laura Lahtinen went out hard and led at 100m but she paid the price as she was overhauled by Australian pair Brittany Castelluzzo and Bella Grant.
Castelluzzo was 0.48 ahead at the final turn and came home in a PB of 2:03.44 followed by teammate Grant in 2:03.92 with Lahtinen almost three seconds adrift in 2:06.83.
Men’s 100m Butterfly
Noè Ponti has shocked himself with his endeavours on the World Cup tour.
A European record of 48.40 in the 100 fly in Shanghai left him almost lost for words and it was followed by a world mark of 21.67 in the 50.
Ponti stepped up on the blocks in Singapore one victory away from the Triple Crown having posted 49.58 in prelims for top seed ahead of Nyls Korstanje, second behind the Swiss in Shanghai and Incheon.
Teong Tzen Wei led through 50 and 100 before Ponti inched ahead by 0.10 at the final turn. The Swiss emerged a bodylength ahead after the last turn and was in clear water when he touched in 48.60 to claim the Triple Crown.
Korstanje took his third straight second place in 49.12 with Teong third in 49.37.
Ponti, the Tokyo bronze medallist, said: “The race was hard but very good. I’m happy to have won the Triple Crown. It’s amazing. It’s been an awesome three weeks.”
Men’s 100m Breaststroke
Ilya Shymanovich was 0.05 inside his WR pace at 100m in 25.85 and had a 0.48 advantage at the final turn over Qin Haiyang. The Chinese though came back with a blistering 14.63 final 25 to take the title in 55.61.
It was an Asian record for Qin as he tied the World Cup mark set by 2012 Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh back in 2009.
Qin’s time was the 10th fastest in history bettered only by Shymanovich and his world record of 55.28, Adam Peaty (55.49) and Nic Fink (55.56).
Shymanovich, a NIA athlete, was second in 55.72 with Caspar Corbeau third in 56.67.
Qin was the overall men’s winner at the 2023 World Cup and is one step away from the 50 breaststroke clean sweep.
“That result was a surprise for me, but I didn’t think too much about the race and just focused on doing my best,” he said. “It was better than the last stops but I feel much better than in last week’s race. It’s always good to win against those good swimmers and I hope next time I still beat them.”
Women’s 50m Freestyle
Katarzyna Wasick arrived in Singapore one win away from the Triple Crown and she led throughout to claim the clean sweep.
Out in 11.23 and back in 12.00, Wasick stopped the clock at 23.23 for a clear victory ahead of Yang Junxuan (23.89) and Siobhan Haughey, who celebrated her 27th birthday with third in 24.00 after walking to poolside in a panda costume.
Haughey will return for the 100 and 200 free in which she is on the brink of winning the trebles.
“I feel amazing,” said Wasick. “Being able to improve from World Cup to World Cup, it’s very important.
“I’m going in a good direction and looking forward to World Champs (World Short-Course Championships) in Budapest in December.
“That was a good race. I think it was my second-best time so I’m really excited.”
Men’s 50m Freestyle
Dylan Carter came from second at 25 to win in 20.82. Isaac Cooper took second in 21.01 with Germany’s Marius Kusch third home in 21.04.
Women’s 100m Individual Medley
Eighteen minutes after obliterating her 200m breaststroke world record, Kate Douglass returned to the water.
Yu Yiting led after the butterfly with Beata Nelson taking over on backstroke before the lead changed hands once more as Douglass, sixth at halfway, turned a 0.72 deficit into a 0.67 advantage over Yu and Nelson, who turned together.
Douglass extended her lead on the free to touch in 56.57 to be followed home by Yu (57.44) and Nelson (57.53).
Two Triple Crowns and one world record. Douglass was somewhat understated, saying: “I’m very excited about winning Triple Crown in both events. I feel like that was my goal going into tonight, was to go best time in both of those events. And I definitely surprised myself a little bit.”
Men’s 100m Individual Medley
Marchand stood on the brink of the Triple Crown after victory in Shanghai in a European record and a tie with Ponti last week in Incheon.
Thomas Ceccon, marking the Halloween theme in a full skeleton mask, led Ponti and Marchand after the fly before the Frenchman went ahead at halfway, 0.04 over the Italian.
The four-time Paris 2024 champion extended that to 0.78 over Ponti at the final turn and despite the best efforts of the Swiss, Marchand claimed victory and the clean sweep in 49.92.
That elevated him to second all-time as he became only the second man inside 50 seconds behind Dressel and his WR of 49.28, the American also having posted 49.88.
It was a new European record and a World Cup standard with both previously held by Vladimir Morozov, who twice went 50.26 at the World Cup in 2018.
Ponti was second in 50.39 with Ceccon third in 51.35.
Marchand said: “It was amazing to race those guys and I am really happy with it.”
With a nod to the French flags being waved around the venue, he said: “French people are always showing up so thank you, merci beaucoup.”
