The OCBC Aquatic Centre was a bustling, vibrant hive of ardent fans cheering themselves hoarse and waving banners with zeal on Friday (1 Nov), as two world records were set and six Triple Crowns collected on the second day of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup – Singapore 2024.

Four-gold Olympic champion Leon Marchand (FRA), who led the series entering the Singapore leg, won the 200m individual medley in a world record of 1:48.88. The 22-year-old lowered the previous world record of 1:49.63 by Ryan Lochte (USA) in 2012, and also bettered his World Cup record of 1:50.30 which was set two weeks ago at the Shanghai stop. 

Regan Smith (USA) broke the second world record of the day, producing a blistering swim in the 100m backstroke in 54.27 to improve on her previous world record time of 54.41, which she clocked just last week at the Incheon leg of the Swimming World Cup 2024. 

Six swimmers collected the Triple Crown for winning the same event across all three World Cup stops – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), Leon Marchand (FRA), Regan Smith (USA), Qin Haiyang (CHN), Kate Douglass (USA) and Tang Qianting (CHN). 

In the final event of the evening, four-time Swimming World Cup overall male winner Chad le Clos (RSA) won the 200m butterfly in 1:50.42. With his triumph on Friday night, the 2012 Olympic champion now boasts a Swimming World Cup gold medal haul of 152.

Says Leon Marchand: “I was six tenths from it (the world record) two weeks ago, and I knew I could improve on a lot of stuff, so that’s what I did. I went a little bit faster in the first 100m and then when I touched the wall, I could actually see the big screen say world record, and the crowd went crazy, so I kind of knew about it. The timing is really cool for me, so I’m happy with it.”

Says Regan Smith: “I feel really good about it (the world record). I went for it on the first 50 and I really ‘died’ coming home, but it was worth it, and I’m really happy. I trained with him (Leon Marchand) for two years now, and watching him do what he does is really awesome. So I just wanted to do something cool myself tonight.”

The winners on 1 November are as follows:

EVENT	WINNER
Women’s Medley 400m	Katie Grimes (USA) – 4:24.19
Men’s Freestyle 1500m	Kazushi Imafuku (JPN) – 14:36.32
Men’s Backstroke 50m	Isaac Cooper (AUS) – 22.61
Women’s Freestyle 200m	Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 1:51.80
Men’s Medley 200m	Leon Marchand (FRA) – 1:48.88 *(WR)
Women’s Backstroke 100m	Regan Smith (USA) – 54.27 *(WR)
Men’s Breaststroke 50m	Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 25.47
Women’s Butterfly 50m	Kate Douglass (USA) – 24.42
Men’s Freestyle 100m	Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 46.09
Women’s Breaststroke 100m	Tang Qianting (CHN) – 1:03.10
Men’s Butterfly 200m	Chad le Clos (RSA) – 1:50.42

The 2024 series concludes on Saturday (2 Nov), with the overall winners to be crowned. Singapore is the final leg of the three-stop series, which started in Shanghai before moving to Incheon. Swimmers collect US$10,000 for each world record and US$10,000 for each Triple Crown. 

Tickets for the final day are sold out, but event-goers and members of the public are also welcome to visit the bustling event carnival located outside the OCBC Aquatic Centre. Highlights include a dunking booth, with Singapore’s Olympic champion Joseph Schooling set to make a special appearance on the final day of the event. The carnival will also feature a wide variety of games and activities for families and children, including face painting, bouncy castle and ring toss. Patrons can also strike a pose at the 360-degree cameras set up at the carnival for a memento, creating the perfect fun-filled event for all. The carnival will be open from 9am-1pm and 430pm-830pm.

Photo Credit: World Aquatics Swimming World Cup Singapore 2024