2024 Swimming World Cup: Stop Two Wrap

IN a nail biter finish, Bella Grant burst onto the international stage in the South Korean leg of the Swimming World Cup series with a shock win over competition leader, Regan Smith.

Grant swum a personal best in the women’s 200m butterfly to touch in first at 2:03.13, only 0.08s ahead of USA’s swimming sensation, Smith (2:03.21) and Finland’s Laura Lahtinen (2:03.79).

An ecstatic Grant said: “It’s my very first World Cup. I just wanted to come and get some race experience. It’s my first competition in the senior stage.

“I would not have picked this result this morning and a 2:03.1! I just wanted to swim faster than [I did] this morning… I look forward to racing in Singapore and I’m hoping to back it up and repeat what I did tonight.”

The Trinity Club swimmer will make her senior Dolphins debut in Budapest in December at the 2024 World Short Course Championships, alongside eight other rookies.

Also claiming gold for Australia in Incheon was Jamie Jack (pictured) in the men’s 100m freestyle.

Training under Dean Boxall at St Peters Western, Jack is determined to follow in his older sister’s strokes, Shayna Jack, who won relay gold in Paris.

“I love her to bits, I’m very proud of what she [Shayna] has done. I have always looked up to her and I love doing this and I hope I can be by her side,” said the younger Jack.

Jack bettered his time from Shanghai (46.67) to swim a personal best of 46.48 and win his first medal of the series. Sunwoo Hwand (KOR) touched in second at 46.60, followed by South Africa’s Pieter Coetze (46.74).

Building upon his efforts in Shanghai, Jack said: “I was really trying to swim a little bit better this time compared to Shanghai… In Shanghai, I had an unexpected swim in the heats, and I didn’t expect to be that fast, but I didn’t swim any faster in the finals, so I tried to pace myself a little better here.

“A win was in the back of my head and I knew that it could have been a possibility. I had a really good lane and an opportunity, especially against some of these other big names. You just have to take them [opportunities] when they come.

“It was awesome, it really makes me happy for how far I have come and the work that I have been doing.”

Jack also won bronze in the men’s 50m freestyle only 0.02s behind fellow Australian Isaac Cooper who touched in second at 21.07. Korea’s Yuchan Ji claimed gold with a time of 20.80.

Meanwhile, Milla Jansen defended her bronze medals from Shanghai in the women’s 50m freestyle (24.32) and the 100m freestyle (52.26).

Jansen also placed third in the 200m freestyle, touching in at 1:54.98 behind Australian Brittany Castelluzz (1:54.11) and four-time Olympic medallist, Siobhan Haughey from Hong Kong (1:51.02).

For full results see here.

The third and final leg of the 2024 World Cup swimming series will be held in Singapore from October 31 to November 2.

Image Credit: World Aquatics