World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2024 Incheon: Leon Marchand reveals 200m freestyle shortcourse world title bid after 400m medley triumph
Marchand was just pipped by Swiss Noe Ponti to the overall title in Incheon as Regan Smith and Pan Zhanle impressed on the final day of the second World Cup (25m) stop.
Swimming
Leon Marchand finished strongly to take the men's 400m medley race win at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Incheon on Saturday (26 October).
The four-time Olympic champion went out conservatively but kept Seto Daiya in his sights. And it was not until the last three lengths of the 25m pool that Marchand, wearing his team-mate Guillaume Guth's swim cap, moved alongside and then in front of his Japanese rival. The Paris 2024 hero beat the world record holder by more than a second with his winning time of 3:58.30 a new French record.
Marchand, whose win moved him back to the top of the shortcourse 2024 World Cup rankings after he won the overall title for last weekend's stop in Shanghai, told reporters afterwards, including Olympics.com, that he was still some way short of his best following his summer exploits in the longer 50m Olympic pool.
"I took a long time off, a month and a half," he said afterwards, "I started practising again three or four weeks ago so I'm not really fit, but I feel fine in the water."
On the race itself, he commented, "That was a good one. I think it was well-paced compared to last week. I started a little bit slower on the fly. I think my backstroke was really good, I was holding a lot of water. And then I was trying to push on the breaststroke and then race Daiya at the end. It's a good time, I'm really happy with it."
To prepare for December's 25m World Championships in Budapest, the 22-year-old said he would go back home to Toulouse to work with his old coach Nicolas Castel ahead of a bid for gold in the 200m freestyle.
When asked about his plans to swim freestyle in the future, he replied, "I think shortcourse maybe I'll do some relays. Maybe the 200 free at Budapest also.
"I've been focusing on the I.M., fly, back, and breast, not really freestyle. Just got to repeat some freestyle, improve my technique too to be able to hold more water."
After winning the 50m butterfly on Saturday, Switzerland's Noe Ponti pipped Marchand to the men's overall crown at the Incheon meet.
The swim of the night came from People's Republic of China's Olympic 100m freestyle champion Pan Zhanle. The 20-year-old showed his versatility by taking the 800m freestyle title in a new World Cup record of 7:35.30.
Regan Smith wins again to take Incheon title
Having set a world record on Friday, Regan Smith stepped onto the top of the podium again after a comfortable victory in the 200m backstroke.
The American touched the wall in 1:59.60, almost two seconds clear of neutral athlete Anastasiya Shkurdai. And Smith insists that she is more concerned about swimming without pressure than times or performances.
"Right now it's about swimming free and not really thinking much about anything, so very pleased with a time like that," she told us poolside. "But, again, if it had been 2:03 tonight, I think I'd be feeling the same way. I just want to give myself a mental break completely so happy with the time but not going to overthink it."
On her world record, she admitted, "It was cool. I thought that I could do it. I didn't know if it'd be here at the World Cup because I'm not in great shape right now, but it was a great race and a good field to be in. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't mean much but it's always fun to go fast."
Her performances saw her pip team-mate Kate Douglass to the women's overall title in Incheon.
Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, China, was victorious again in the 100m freestyle, clocking 51.73 to win by almost half a second from Poland's Katarzyna Wasick.
Duncan Scott was well inside world record pace midway through the men's 200m freestyle. The Briton slowed inside the final three lengths, but won comfortably in 1:40.29 with Lithuania's Danas Rapsys a distant second.
The third and final stop of the 2024 Swimming World Cup is in Singapore next weekend.
Results from the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2024 in Incheon, Republic of Korea - Day 3:
Men’s 400m medley
- Leon Marchand (FRA) 3:58.30
- Seto Daiya (JPN) +1.13
- Alberto Razzetti (ITA) +4.07
Men’s 800m freestyle
- Pan Zhanle (CHN) 7:35.30 WCR
- Kim Jun-woo (KOR) +3.85
- Imafuku Kazushi (JPN) +5.47
Women’s 100m butterfly
- Laura Lahtinen (FIN) 55.76
- Lily Price (AUS) +0.39
- Yu Yiting (CHN) +0.46
Men’s 50m butterfly
- Noe Ponti (SUI) 21.76
- Nyls Korstanje (NED) +0.23
- Marius Kusch (GER) +0.54
Women’s 200m backstroke
- Regan Smith (USA) 1:59.60
- Anastasiya Shkurdai (NIA) +1.91
- Ingrid Wilm (CAN) +3.63
Men’s 100m backstroke
- Pieter Coetze (RSA) 49.93
- Kapser Stokowski (POL) +0.24
- Thomas Ceccon (ITA) +0.48
Women’s 50m breaststroke
- Tang Qianting (CHN) 29.03
- Benedetta Pilato (ITA) +0.45
- Alina Zmushka (NIA) +0.77
Men’s 200m breaststroke
- Qin Haiyang (CHN) 2:02.57
- Joshua Yong (AUS) +0.16
- Caspar Corbeau (NED) +0.87
Women’s 100m freestyle
- Siobhan Haughey (HKG) 51.73
- Katarzyna Wasick (POL) +0.46
- Milla Jansen (AUS) +0.53
Men’s 200m freestyle
- Duncan Scott (GBR) 1:40.29
- Danas Rapsys (LTU) +1.71
- Kieran Smith (USA) +2.07
Women’s 200m medley
- Yu Yiting (CHN) 2:04.73
- Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) +0.50
- Tara Kinder (AUS) +1.83