American swimmer Regan Smith has once again etched her name in the record books, breaking the world record in the 200m backstroke during the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup. Smith clocked a time of 1:58.83, surpassing the previous world record of 1:58.94 set by Kaylee McKeown in November 2020. Despite her record-breaking swim, Smith fell just short of overtaking her American teammate, Kate Douglass, for the overall World Cup title. Douglass finished with 178.5 points, narrowly edging Smith, who earned 178.4 points.
“I knew I had to break the world record to pass Kate,” Smith commented. “I’m just a tenth of a point behind her, but we’ve had so much fun throughout these three stops, pushing each other. This World Cup has been such a blast, and I can’t wait to keep competing in the future.”
Douglass, for her part, was thrilled with her World Cup experience. “This is something I’ve never really done before, and I loved it,” she said. “It’s great to be racing against so many international swimmers, and it really makes swimming feel more fun.”
Smith’s world record in the 200m backstroke is part of a broader achievement, as she also set a world record in the 100m backstroke earlier in the series. Looking ahead to the World Short Course Championships in Budapest in December, Smith shared her excitement. “I want to go to short course worlds and have just as much fun as I did here,” she said. “Life is too short to take it too seriously, and I’m really enjoying this journey.”
In other highlights, Douglass claimed the 100m freestyle, breaking the American record with a time of 50.82 seconds. This victory denied Siobhan Haughey the chance for a triple crown. Douglass, excited by the accomplishment, reflected, “I wanted to break the American record, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
Meanwhile, French swimmer Léon Marchand captured the overall men’s title at the World Cup, earning 175.7 points. Marchand’s stellar performance included winning the 400m individual medley (IM) in 3:58.45, marking his third triple crown of the circuit. “It was a good race, though I could’ve been a bit faster on the 400m IM,” said Marchand. “But the 200m free was great, so I’m really happy with my performance.”
Swiss swimmer Noé Ponti also made waves, setting a world record in the 50m butterfly at 21.50 seconds in the morning session. However, he couldn’t match that performance in the final, where he swam 21.64 to win the triple crown. Despite the minor slip, Ponti was pleased with his efforts: “It wasn’t the perfect race, but it was still amazing.”
Great Britain’s Duncan Scott finished third overall with 167.8 points, wrapping up the World Cup series with a personal best of 1:39.83 in the 200m freestyle. This British record also marked his first time breaking the 1:40 barrier. “It feels great to have gone sub-1:40,” Scott said. “It’s going to spur me on for future races.”
As the competition closed, the swimmers reflected on their performances, all praising the unique experience of competing in the World Cup format. “I just love racing,” Scott added. “It’s great to see all these world records and to be part of such a fun event.”
