The world will get bored of Léon Marchand‘s, you say? We think otherwise. After his dreamy Parisian stint, the 22-year-old refuses to let the Marchand Mania slow down. A short break later, the Olympian returned to make a splash at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup. Sure, he encountered some minor bumps on his rise to the top. But he came out of it stronger, faster, and much better. However, he isn’t the only one. 

Kate Douglass and Regan Smith enjoyed their time in the French capital, but they couldn’t stay away from the pool for too long. Consistently battling for the top spot, their performances throughout the meet have been nothing short of spectacular. We’re finally on day two of the last stop in the competition—Singapore. With several elite swimmers chasing the coveted hardware, how did your favorites fare in the pool today?

Léon Marchand never ceases to amaze the masses

The 22-year-old returned to the pool for the 200m IM swim, the last time he would contest in it for the World Cup. The stakes were higher than ever, but he didn’t disappoint. Léon Marchand had previously set World Cup, French and European records with 1:50.30 in Shanghai. However, today, he touched the wall in a new World Record time of 1:48.88, bettering his personal best. This marked his second-ever world record in meters, but it is also his first on the short course.

With this time, France’s Golden Boy had just shattered a 12-year record set of 1:49.63 set in 2012 by Ryan Lochte. He had just snagged his 3rd consecutive World Cup victory with the second-fastest time ever. The swimmer had also clinched his second Triple Crown of the World Cup. Trailing behind the Olympian was Duncan Scott, who clocked 1:51.14 for the silver medal. Alberto Razzetti completed the podium with 1:52.99 on the clock. So, how did Marchand fair on day 1 of the final stop? 

After previously delivering a stellar performance in the 100m IM in Shanghai and Incheon, Singapore wasn’t going to be any different. Surging past the rest of his competition, Léon Marchand touched the wall in a World Cup Record time of 49.92s. With his third World Cup title in the event, he had become the first man from his continent to dip under the 50-second barrier. He is also the 2nd man in the world to hit the 49-point time and now takes up the #2 spot on the all-time list. But hold on. The excitement and thrill were far from over. 

Kate Douglass, Regan Smith and Pan Zhanle raise the bar higher than ever

Kate Douglass has been incredible throughout the World Cup. In fact, she ended up being on top of the table by the end of the first leg in Shanghai. While she faltered slightly in Incheon, the swimmer reclaimed her throne as the World Cup headed to Singapore. In the 50m butterfly today, she touched the wall in 24.42s, snagging her third Triple Crown in the World Cup. However, her incredible time now puts her in the second spot of the top women’s SCM 50 butterfly performers in the history list. 

On day one, she was flawless in the 200m breaststroke, finishing over six seconds ahead of her competitors and securing gold with a world record time of 2:12.72. This incredible performance surpassed her previous world record of 2:14.16 set in Incheon. But she wasn’t finished yet. Shortly after her first victory, she returned for the 100m IM, and while she didn’t set another record, the 22-year-old clinched a second gold with a time of 56.57 seconds.

How did Regan Smith fare in the pool, you ask? The swimmer returned on day two for the 100m backstroke finals, and she certainly didn’t disappoint! Her blistering time of 54.27 seconds set a new world record in Singapore, shaving .14 seconds off her previous world record of 54.41 seconds from Incheon. If that isn’t exciting enough, this marks her third world record in the 100m backstroke this year, putting her at the top of the all-time rankings in the event. With this victory, she also secured her first Triple Crown in the World Cup. But what about day one?

The 22-year-old stunned the crowds by touching the wall in 25.48s in the 50m backstroke finals. Here’s the kicker. This happened to be her fastest performance across the 3 stops. In Shanghai, she clocked 25.70s for the silver medal. On the other hand, in Incheon, she bagged another shiny hardware with 25.71s on the clock. Yet, she fell short of .11s to shatter Gretchen Walsh’s American record of 25.97s from the NCAA dual meet. Pan Zhanle impressed the crowds in the 100m freestyle event tonight.

Even though no swimmer managed to dip under the 46-second barrier, the reigning Olympic champion in the LCM version claimed an effortless victory with a time of 46.09 seconds. In the same event in Shanghai, he had secured a silver with a time of 46.35 seconds. But today, he stood atop the podium. However, day one didn’t go as well for him. While he did not miss the podium, the 20-year-old’s time of 3:38.79 was only good enough for a third-place finish— a stark contrast to his gold-medal-worthy time of 3:36.43 in Incheon. The sun may have set on day two of the World Cup, but we have one more day left to see if Léon Marchand or any of your favorites will walk away with the coveted prize. Will you be watching?