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Oct 24, 2024 | 5:53 AM PDT
Debate
Is the Marchand-Ponti rivalry the most electrifying showdown in swimming history?
The first leg of the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Shanghai was exhilarating as ever. With stacked lineups and several records broken, fans were on the edge of their seats. But we’re finally back to the first night of the second leg in Incheon. Like Shanghai, tonight’s events are in the same order, and we know what you’re here for. Léon Marchand and Noe Ponti battled it out yet again in the pool, but unlike October 18, things turned out differently.
Closing out an electric night, both swimmers locked horns in the 100m individual medley. The last time this happened, Ponti missed the gold by just 0.1 seconds. But this time, they both touched the wall in 51.00 seconds. How exciting is that? However, neither of them was off the block first. In fact,100m backstroke Olympic Champion Thomas Ceccon held the lead until the halfway point. Ponti and Marchand trailed behind him, with the former in second place. On the other hand, the Frenchman was in fifth place.
In Shanghai, Léon Marchand took the lead on the breaststroke leg, and he did it again with a blistering 14.38 seconds split. While Ponti struggled on the breaststroke to freestyle turn, he was hot on the Olympian’s heels. With an impressive split of 12.44 seconds on the freestyle leg, he closed the gap on France’s Golden Boy, while Ceccon nabbed the third step of the podium with a stellar 51.15 seconds on the clock. What a perfect way to draw the curtains on day 1, isn’t it?
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This was the 22-year-old’s first time back in the international swimming circuit after an incredibly successful stint at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But he ensured that the Marchand Mania was as prevalent as ever in his first appearance in Shanghai. Not only did he touch the wall in 50.65 seconds, but he also shattered a French Record of 50.96 seconds set by Florent Manaudou in 2013. On the other hand, Ponti fell short of breaking the European Record in the men’s 100 fly, out-split the Frenchman on fly, free and back.
Unfortunately, he trailed behind him with 50.66 seconds on the clock. But with this, he shattered his own Swiss Record of 51.7 seconds set at the 2023 European SC Championships. The duo have now cracked the Top 5 All-Time with their performances. While Marchand is #4 on the list, the Swiss swimmer is tied at #5 with former world record holder Markus Deibler. They also ended the first leg by snagging the first two spots on the table, with the former scoring 58.3 points and the latter scoring 56.8 points. However, how was his time in Shanghai?
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The swimmer stunned the crowds by snagging 4 golds and 4 Olympic records at the París La Défense Arena. But after taking a short break from the pool, he made a triumphant return at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup. Many hoped he would dominate the races just like he did in Paris. France’s Golden Boy bagged 3 golds in his first three races. But his unbeatable streak crashed and burned towards the end of day 3.
Is the Marchand-Ponti rivalry the most electrifying showdown in swimming history?
Debate
Léon Marchand was touted as the favorite in the 200m breaststroke event. Why wouldn’t they? He had snagged a shiny gold in the event at the Olympics. But the swimmer left the crowds stunned when he completely missed the podium in Shanghai by finishing in fourth place. In a post-race interview, he opened up about how exhausted he was. “My legs were cooked, they were dead,” the 22-year-old confessed. But this wasn’t his only event.
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The swimmer looked back at the rest of his races and added, “This is the longest race I have swum since Paris. I forgot how much the 400 IM hurts.” Not only did he clinch gold in the 400m IM, but he also broke a French record with his stellar time of 4:00.03. But he still believed he could have done things differently. “I think I went out too hard on my fly segment,” the Olympian confessed. He added that he should have focused on his strokes and timings better.
“I’m pushing my body, and it’s been a real test racing all of these guys. But that’s what we are here for,” Léon Marchand stated. Things would have been better if he had time to recover between the 400m IM and 200m breaststroke. As the dust settles on the excitement of day 1, how will the rest of his competitions in Incheon pan out? Will the 22-year-old hold onto his lead on the table, or will today’s results dethrone him? We will just have to wait and watch.
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