Ponti Punches Another WR At Pace Of Popov On Freestyle With Dashing 21.50 On 'Fly At Cup Curtain-Closer
Swiss ace Noè Ponti backs up 21.50 WR in heats with 21.64 victory, the top 4 all-time performances now in his grip, with Dutch rival Nyls Korstanje now all-time No2 performer with his second-place 21.74. Plus: Léon Marchand completes medley bull run as Singapore concludes the 2024 series
Noè Ponti, 23, punched his second 50m butterfly World record in a sizzling 21.50 on the last day of the 2024 World Cup tour, the Swiss ace travelling as fast as Alex Popov did back in 1994 when he set the global standard on freestyle in precisely the same time.
Ponti, the 6ft 4 sprinter who made history when he claimed Olympic bronze in the 100m at the Tokyo2020ne Olympics, set both his World marks in heats on the 2024 cup tour:
9.86, 11.64 - 21.50 Singapore, Nov 2, 2024
9.95, 11.72 - 21.67 Shanghai Oct 20, 2024
The 23-year-old from Locarno, coached at Nuoto Sport Locarno by Massimo Meloni and Andrea Mercuri up to the Paris 2024 Olympics, backed up his latest global standard with a 21.64 win in the last 50m 'fly final of the 2024 tour, granting him the fastest four efforts all-time and five of the swiftest 10 butterfly dashes in history.
The closest to the slowest of his best four finished second today: Nyls Korstanje, of The Netherlands, is now all-time No2 with his 21.74 in Singapore, where third place went to local-fan-favourite Teong Tzen Wei in 22.11.
In September, Ponti moved his coaching to the Swiss-Aquatics Training Base at the "Centro Sportivo Tenero“ in Tenero having changed his club membership after the Paris Games from his long-time club since childhood, Nuoto Sport Locarno, to SchwimmClub Uster (SCU).
The Swiss 'fly ace now includes Antonio Djakovic, his roommate at many an international down the years, among his new clubmates. The shift to one of his nation's top clubs means that Ponti is in a position to add relay podiums and team championships to his pantheon for the first time in his career.
Ponti and Djakovic intend to join each other in training in Uster and Tenero. At the time of his decision, Ponti noted on social media:
"In recent days, I made a decision that I have long pondered and which has inevitably brought about a deep emotional involvement: starting from the upcoming 2024/25 season, I will no longer compete for Nuoto Sport Locarno. Leaving the team where I grew up and have been swimming since I was 6 years old is a choice driven mainly by sporting opportunities and motivation.As I embark on a new Olympic cycle towards Los Angeles 2028, I believe it is important to seek new challenges and collaborations that can help me work with renewed energy. For these reasons, I have decided to join SchwimmClub Uster, where some of my friends from the Swiss national team swim. I want to assure everyone that I will continue to train at the “Centro Sportivo Tenero” with the Swiss Aquatics Training Base group, under the guidance of Massimo Meloni and Andrea Mercuri, supported by my trusted team.I want to thank all the past and present committee members and coaches of Nuoto Sport Locarno, who have accompanied me on this wonderful journey. It almost goes without saying that I will always remain emotionally connected to Nuoto Sport Locarno and its young swimmers, to whom I will stay close.Go @sc_uster!"
Meanwhile, back on World Cup tour, the last day also witnessed a World record over 200m backstroke from Regan Smith and a Commonwealth standard in the 200m free from Duncan Scott 0.46sec shy of the global mark:
Marchand Completes Medley March
Léon Marchand concluded his bull run on medley events on the 2024 Cup tour as a four-times Olympic champion with a 3:58.45 victory in the 400m, 0.15sec outside the French record he established in Incheon a week ago to enter the all-time top 10 at No10.
