M50 Butterfly: Grousset Grabs Gold 0.06 Up On Ponti, Ceccon Chasing
Each medallist in turn broke their own national record in contention for the crown, and each down the pecking order had waited a touch longer than the next to beat their best - and all three shuffled the all-time top 10
Maxime Grousset and Noé Ponti were split by 0.06sec at the close of one blistering lap of butterfly that ended in the Frenchman's favour 22.48 to 22.51. The bronze sent to Italian former champion Thomas Ceccon in 21.67.
Each man in turn broke their own national record in contention for the crown, and each down the pecking order had waited a touch longer than the next to beat their best.
- Grousset's winning time crushed his day old 22.61 in the semi, which had taken down his own month-old French record of 22.70;
- Ponti had waited more than a year to crack the Swiss standard of 22.65 he set in April last year; and
- Ceccon had waited two years, since his 22.68 victory at Fukuoka 2023 Wolds, top shave 0.01sec off his best
Those three swims shuffled the all-time top 10, with or without shiny suits... here's how the rankings shifted:
