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The 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup got off to a roaring start with two new World Cup records on the first night in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.
Fresh off an Olympic gold medal in the 200m breaststroke at the Paris Olympics this summer, Kate Douglass of the United States won two events Friday night at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Shanghai, taking out the 100m IM and her gold medal event, the 200m breaststroke.
Douglass won the 200m breaststroke at 2:15.96, just off her lifetime best of 2:15.77 from two years ago at the World Short Course Championships as she may take aim at Rebecca Soni’s world record of 2:14.57 from 2009 that has stood the test of time. Douglass has achieved everything in this sport except break an individual world record and that may change over the next two weekends.
Douglass returned later to win the 100m IM at 56.99, moving up to second all-time and getting closer to Katinka Hosszu’s 56.51 world record than anyone ever has.
“I love the 100m IM, it was my first time swimming it in short course meters,” Douglass said. “I was very excited to finally do it. I find the 200m IM very painful, and this was a lot more fun to do. I was definitely worried about the timing of my double, but it all worked out.
“I think I managed my races well. I love training short course at University of Virginia. We have been doing a lot more of that. I don’t miss long course right now, that’s for sure. I think it’s a lot of fun to race a different length of pool, because we all have our strengths and weaknesses. This is my first world cup series and it’s fun, low pressure, allowing everyone to have a good time and not worry about how we are swimming.”
Switzerland’s Noe Ponti swam the fastest 100m butterfly in four years on Friday night in Shanghai with a 48.40 to move to third on the all-time list, lowering his own European record from December of last year. Ponti broke the World Cup record as well, as he could take aim at Caeleb Dressel’s 47.78 from 2020 over the coming weeks.
🇨🇭 Noe Ponti on fire on the first night of the #SWC2024 😱 pic.twitter.com/DyYuzkcU7a
“On three weeks training, it was a personal best and a European record.
What can I say? I am speechless!” Ponti said.
Ponti nearly won his second race of the night, pushing Olympic champion Leon Marchand of France for all he was worth in the 100m IM final to close the night. Marchand won the final with a 50.65 to Ponti’s 50.66.
This was Marchand’s first appearance at a World Cup meet as he moved up to fourth all-time with his swim.
🇫🇷 Leon Marchand makes his debut at the Swimming World Cup 🤩 Taking a win in the Men’s 100m IM ⏱️50.65 #SWC2024 pic.twitter.com/n5n67ejpke
Marchand is coming off a legendary home Olympics where he won four individual gold medals, just the third swimmer in history to do so, and he did it in his home nation – a perfect blend.
“I enjoyed racing Noe race tonight,” Marchand said. “The Olympics were pretty amazing for me, I took some time off from that, I got back in the water about a month and a half ago. I don’t really expect a lot of great results. I am just enjoying racing now so it’s cool. I am just trying to have fun.
“I think it’s a good time, but I haven’t really swam that event before. It was a really fun race from the beginning, Noe just swam another event 20 minutes ago. I thought it was really exciting to race Noe Ponti and it was a really close race. I will race the 100m IM event at every stop of the world cup. I love being able to travel and going overseas to race. We also have two more steps on the world cup and I will be enjoying it all.”
Marchand has reached a new level of celebrity since Paris, amassing 1.5 million followers on Instagram, but has insisted he has stayed grounded in all of this.
“I haven’t changed much; I’m still the same person,” Marchand told reporters in French. “I’ve adapted pretty well. The upcoming competition schedule is quite detailed, with many world events, but I’ll do my best to maintain my level and perform well.”
Last year’s World Cup winners Kaylee McKeown and Qin Haiyang returned in 2024 with continental records of their own to open their post-Olympic campaigns.
China’s Qin celebrated an Asian record in the 100m breaststroke in front of the Chinese crowd with a 55.73, lowering Yuya Hinomoto’s 55.77 from 2021 as Qin moved to sixth all-time in the event. Qin beat the World Record-holder Ilya Shymanovich head to head tonight as he was 56.07 in finishing second. Shymanovich’s world record of 55.28 is still standing from 2021 and Qin could take aim at that over the next two weekends in Incheon and Singapore.
“I want to thank all the people here supporting me,” Qin said. “They give me strength and confidence. Thank you all.”
McKeown set the World Cup and Oceania record in winning the 50m backstroke at 25.36, beating her chief rival Regan Smith in the process with the American placing second at 25.70. Those two will be clashing many more times over the coming weeks as they have brought backstroke to new heights over the last four years.
“It was fun, there’s always something you can do in a 50 to make it better,” McKeown said. “My first 50 was pretty bad but I am just excited to race because racing and stuff like that is not something I am enjoying as I usually did.
“Coming off the Olympics you go from such a high to such a low. I am struggling to find the motivation to push myself. I have been doing this for such a long time and I really just need to take some time away from the pool. After the world cup events I will be going home to enjoy myself outside of swimming.”
Smith returned later to win the 200m butterfly at 2:01.85, out-kicking China’s Chen Luying on the final 50 meters to move up to fifth all-time with Chen finishing in second at 2:02.71 to set a new world junior record.
“I got pushed all the way, it was an amazing race,” Smith said. “It gets harder when you get older. It was a tough double, and she really made me work for it.
“In the 200m fly you really have to be in shape for it. I haven’t been swimming very much. The girls in the lanes next to me gave me a really great race and they really pushed me. That’s what it is all about.
“The fans are amazing and everyone has been really nice to me. Everyone here is really excited about swimming, it has been great. People here are very excited to see swimming right now. It’s really fun to come over to China and be with people who love the sport.”
China was also able to celebrate a win from Liu Yaxin in the 400m freestyle as she won with a 3:58.45 over world record holder Li Bingjie (4:00.18).
“I felt really well and I think I have performed my best,” Liu said. “The audience here is really supportive. I can feel the warm welcome here.”
Great Britain’s Duncan Scott won the men’s 400m freestyle at 3:36.98, swimming his best time in beating previous World champions Kieran Smith (3:38.44) and Danas Rapsys (3:38.63).
“It’s not an event I do too much of, but I am learning every time I do it,” Scott said. “It’s great fun racing these boys, I am really happy. Coming into this meet it was a bit of an unknown how I would do. It’s far better than I thought I would do.
World Cup winner from two years ago, Dylan Carter of Trinidad & Tobago, got his 2024 campaign started with a win in the 50m freestyle at 21.06, while former teammate Kasia Wasick of Poland won the women’s race at 23.87.
South Africa’s Pieter Coetze won the men’s 200m backstroke at 1:49.12.
Action from Shanghai continues tomorrow morning with heats at 9:30 a.m. local time with finals occurring at 6:30 p.m.
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