World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2024 Shanghai: Leon Marchand makes golden return by narrowest margin, Kate Douglass wins twice
The four-time Olympic champion claimed his first career World Cup win, fighting off a close attack from Switzerland's Noe Ponti. USA's Kate Douglass and Regan Smith picked up two medals despite short turnarounds between races.
Swimming
French swimming hero Leon Marchand was back in a familiar spot, on top of the podium at World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2024 in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China, on Friday 18 October – his first competition since winning five medals at his home Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The 22-year-old won gold in the men's 100m medley at the first of the three-stop short-course World Cups, but not without rattling some nerves first.
Touching the wall in a time of 50.65, Marchand was a mere one hundredth of a second ahead of Switzerland's Noe Ponti who took his second medal of the night after claiming victory in the men's 100m butterfly with a World Cup and European record.
Great Britain's Duncan Scott finished third in the stacked medley final, which also featured Italy's Thomas Ceccon and China's Pan Zhanle.
Marchand also set the top time in the morning heats, swimming 51.65 in a cap with Caeleb Dressel's name on the side – an image that USA's nine-time Olympic champion was quick to comment on, posting a cheeky "nice cap" and smirking face emoji on his Instagram story.
Kate Douglass strikes gold in 200m breast and 100m medley
USA's Kate Douglass had two victories to celebrate in the pool in Shanghai on Friday.
The four-time Paris 2024 medallist started her evening campaign by taking gold in the women's 200m breaststroke in a time of 2:15.96 ahead of Alina Zmushka and South Africa's Rebecca Meder.
She returned to the pool shortly after for the women's 100m medley, where she clocked in an American record of 56.99. China's Yu Yiting and Australia's Kaylee McKeown wrapped up the podium.
McKeown earlier won the women's 50m backstroke, but was 0.77 seconds off Douglass' result in the individual medley, finishing with nearly the exact same margin behind her USA rival as she did in the 200m IM at Paris 2024.
Regan Smith takes back-to-back medals within 10 minutes
Douglass's teammate Regan Smith had the difficult task of competing in two races just over 10 minutes apart.
The eight-time Olympic medallist first jumped in the pool to race McKeown in the 50m backstroke, finishing 00.34 seconds behind the Australian star. After one men's race squeezed in between her starts, Smith returned to the blocks for the women’s 200m butterfly, where she took gold with 2:01.85 on the clock. This time put her among the five fastest-ever performers in the short course 200m fly.
Smith outraced local teenage prodigy, 17-yeaold Chen Luying, to take the win who set a world junior record of 2:02.71.
Finland’s Laura Lahtinen was third.
The World Cup in Shanghai continues on 19 and 20 October. The second stage will be held in Incheon, Republic of Korea between 24 and 26 October with Singapore hosting the finals from 31 October to 2 November.
Results from the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2024 in Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China:
Women’s 400m freestyle
- Liu Yaxin (CHN) – 3:58.45
- Li Beingjie (CHN) +01.73
- Tang Muhan (CHN) +01.95
Men’s 400m freestyle
- Duncan Scott (GBR) – 3:36.98
- Kieran Smith (USA) +01.46
- Danas Rapsys (LTU) +01.65
Women’s 50m backstroke
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 25.36
- Regan Smith (USA) +00.34
- Ingrid Wilm (CAN) +00.72
Men’s 200m backstroke
- Pieter Coetze (RSA) – 1:49.12
- Lorenzo Mora (ITA) +02.21
- Enoch Robb (AUS) +02.32
Women’s 200m butterfly
- Regan Smith (USA) – 2:01.85
- Chen Luying (CHN) +00.86
- Laura Lahtinen (FIN) +01.28
Men’s 100m butterfly
- Noe Ponti (SUI) – 48.40
- Nyls Korstanje (NED) +00.84
- Chad Le Clos (RSA) +01.32
Women’s 200m breaststroke
- Kate Douglass (USA) – 2:15.96
- Alina Zmushka (NIE) +04.02
- Rebecca Meder (RSA) +04.39
Men’s 100m breaststroke
- Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 55.73
- Ilya Shymanovich (NIA) +00.34
- Sun Jiajun (CHN) +00.43
Women’s 50m freestyle
- Katarzyna Wasick (POL) – 23.87
- Zhang Yufei (CHN) +00.18
- Milla Jansen (AUS) +00.32
Men’s 50m freestyle
- Dylan Carter (TTO) – 21.06
- Jack Dolan (USA) +00.01
- Marius Kusch (GER) +00.03
Women’s 100m medley
- Kate Douglass (USA) – 56.99
- Yu Yiting (CHN) +00.52
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) +00.77
Men’s 100m medley
- Leon Marchand (FRA) – 50.65
- Noe Ponti (SUI) +00.01
- Duncan Scott (GBR) +00.49