Another day, another record for Noè Ponti. The 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup has consistently kept fans on the edge of their seats. . One of the breakthrough performances has been the 23-year-old, who refuses to let his eyes wander away from the prize. The swimmer might have missed out on the podium during the Paris Olympics. But there have been no misses since he set out on the path for the World Cup. 

The 23-year-old is neck-and-neck on the leaderboard with France’s Golden Boy, Léon Marchand. Even though he had to settle for second place in the 100m IM twice now, he has been incredible in the pool in the 50m and 100m fly. In Shanghai, he shattered the World Record by touching the wall in 21.67s. This makes him the first Swiss swimmer to own a world record in nearly 40 years—quite an impressive feat. Given how breaking records is second nature to Ponti, which record did he obliterate today? 

Noè Ponti sets the pace for a tantalizing finals

After an exciting bout in Shanghai and Incheon, we arrived on the last day of the final stop in Singapore. Elite swimmers will have one last chance to chase the prize in the pool, and Noè Ponti came prepared. The 23-year-old made a splash in the 50m fly prelims by surging to the finish in 21.50s. He shaved off .17s from his own World Record of 21.67s during the prelims in Shanghai. Bear in mind that he has clinched gold in the finals in the first two stops of the meet. Will he claim his second triple crown tonight?

In the first leg of the World Cup, the swimmer had another shot at lowering his World Record in the finals but missed it by a whisker, clocking in at 21.68s. Yet, it was still worthy of a gold medal. During his time in Incheon, the 23-year-old got dangerously close to his World Record again, yet he couldn’t beat it. Like in Shanghai, he bagged a gold medal. On both occasions, he beat Nyls Korstanje, who came in second in the prelims as well. The 50m fly finals are going to be as thrilling as ever.

However, this isn’t the only record Noè Ponti has surged past at the World Cup. The Swiss swimmer constantly locked heads with Léon Marchand in the 100m IM event. During their first outing in Shanghai, a difference of .01 kept him from clinching a gold. But even though the Frenchman touched the world first, Ponti’s time of 50.66s set a new Swiss record. In Incheon, the duo had to share the gold by touching the wall in 51.00s. But in Singapore, the swimmer had done it again!

In the prelims, the swimmer surged past his fiercest rival, touching the wall in 52.41s. He replicated that speed in the finals too, leading the race in the first 25m. However, Marchand and Ponti kept going back and forth, their hunger for the gold medal almost unsatiable. Yet he couldn’t keep up with the swimmer and trailed behind him in second place. Here’s the kicker, though. He touched the wall in 50.39s, shaving off 2.02s from his previous Swiss record in Shanghai. This made it his fourth record in the last year. Where does he stand in the World Cup so far?

A thrilling battle of the titans in Singapore

The 2024 Swimming Aquatic World Cup had three exciting stops: Shanghai, Incheon, and Singapore. After each leg, the leaderboard for the prize would dramatically shift. After the dust had settled on the escapades in the first stop, Léon Marchand racked up 58.3 points. What about the Swiss swimmer, you ask? He trailed behind with 56.8 points. However, they still had two more stops to go. And boy, did things get even more electrifying!

Incheon was just as jaw-dropping as the first stop, but there was one massive difference. Noè Ponti had racked up 58.2 points, while the 4x Olympic gold medalist trailed behind with 58.1 points instead. So, how does the swimmer feel about that? “It is the first time that I have won a leg of the World Cup,” he confessed. Yet, the 23-year-old reiterated that racing against his competition had been fun, and it couldn’t get any better.

Here’s what helped make his rise to the top. Léon Marchand had dominated the pool during the Shanghai leg in the 100m IM, but in Incheon, the duo had to share the top step of the podium. Additionally, the Frenchman clocked 47.46s in the 100m freestyle heats, failing to qualify for the finals. In fact, the swimmer admitted it too.