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Two world records and four podiums in blue on the second day of the stage Swimming World Cup in short course, an event that will end tomorrow in Singapore, the Asian city-state where the long course world championships will take place in July. The two world records are 54.27 in the 100 backstroke Regan Smitha 22-year-old American from Minnesota, who beat herself (last week in Incheon in South Korea she swam in 54.41) and the impressive 1:48.88 with which the quadrilympian from Paris, the 22-year-old Frenchman from Toulouse Léon Marchand was the first “sub 1:49” in the history of swimming in the 200 medley. Since the previous world championship belonged to Phelps’ number one opponent, the American Ryan Lochte, and it was 1:49.63 which dated back to 2012.
INSIGHTS
World record for Marchand. Four Italians on the podium
Marchand made the real difference in the breaststroke section: after all, he was golden in the mixed, butterfly and breaststroke at Paris 2024. Lochte had only been faster than him in the butterfly. In this race he came one of the four Italian podiums: Alberto Razzetti (1:52.99) in fact placed third behind the unreachable Frenchman and the British Duncan Scott (1:51.14). “Razzo” repeated the performance later when he also came in third place (1:51.96) in the 200 butterfly which saw the South African Chad leClos first place (1:50.42) who at 32 years old is still among the best.
The two bronzes by Razzetti were accompanied, in an Italian style, from the silver of Thomas Ceccon and the bronze of Benedetta Pilato. Thomas, who varies between styles and distances in the pool, this time is dedicated to the queen race, the 100 freestyle. He swam in 46.25 finishing not far from the world record holder in the long course, the Chinese Pan Zhanlie, his time of 46.09 in Singapore. Alsoand Benedetta Pilato, third in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.56saw their race end up in the hands of China: Tang Qlanting won in 1:03.10 in a style that seems, at this moment, to be in the Chinese’s private waters. The men’s 50m event saw yet another success for Qin Hayang in 25.47, with Italian Olympian Nicolò Martinenghi at the foot of the podium, fourth in 26.16.
The other blue involved in the event, Lorenzo Moraplaced sixth, 23.26, in the 50 backstroke going to the Australian Isaac Cooper, 22.61, author of the treble: he won this race in all three stages of the World Cup. Also winners of the day were the American Katie Grimes (4:24.19) in the 400 medley, the Japanese with the manga name, Zazushi Imafuku (14:36.32) in the 1500 freestyle, the girl from Hong Kong Slonhan Haughey (1:51.80) in the 200 freestyle, the always winning American Kate Douglass (24.42) in the 50 butterfly in which she scratched the world record (24.38) of the Swede Therese Alshammar which has stood since 2009.
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