SwimSwam Pulse: 43.9% Most Excited To See Marchand Compete At SC Worlds

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers who they are most excited to see racing fully tapered in the short course meters pool in December:

Question: Which swimmer are you most excited to see at the 2024 Short Course World Championships?

RESULTS

• Leon Marchand – 43.9%
• Gretchen Walsh – 32.3%
• Summer McIntosh – 11.8%
• Kate Douglass – 8.5%
• Other – 3.5%

The two biggest stars of the Paris Olympic Games and two of the greatest short course yards swimmers in history are set to compete at the Short Course World Championships in less than two months’ time.

It hasn’t always been the case that we see the best of the best racing at Short Course Worlds, especially coming out of an Olympic Games, so the idea of seeing Leon Marchand, Summer McIntosh, Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass competing is an exciting one for swim fans.

Marchand’s world record prospects in short course meters have already been a highly-discussed topic after his announcement that he’ll be racing the World Cup circuit and SC Worlds, so it’s no surprise to see the Frenchman coming out on top with 43.9% of votes in our latest poll.

We already got a glimpse of what Marchand can do in SCM on the first night of racing at the World Cup, moving to #4 all-time in the men’s 100 IM, and there promises to be more to come with world records on high alert in the 200 breast, 200 fly and the 200 and 400 IM.

Marchand took an extended break out of the pool after the Olympics and only returned to training one month ago, so if he’s got a 50.65 100 IM in him in October, there’s no telling what he’ll be capable of with two more months of racing and training in him.

When the U.S. roster for SC Worlds was announced last week, the inclusion of the name Gretchen Walsh had SwimSwam readers buzzing about what she might have in store in the short course meters pool after what she’s done over the last 12 months.

Walsh rewrote the NCAA, U.S. Open and American Record books during her junior year at Virginia, finishing the year holding new all-time marks in the women’s 50 free (20.37), 100 free (44.83), 100 back (48.10) and 100 fly (47.42), and followed up by having a long course season that matched her short course performances.

She broke the world record in the 100 fly at the U.S. Olympic Trials (55.18), and went on to win four medals at her debut Olympics in Paris, including an individual silver in the 100 fly.

At SC Worlds, Walsh is scheduled to swim the 50 free, 50 fly and 100 fly, and the world records in each of them will be at risk. The 50 fly world record of 24.38 has been on the books since 2009, held by Therese Alshammar, while the 50 free record held by Ranomi Kromowidjojo (22.93) was set in 2017 and the 100 fly mark of 54.05 was set by Maggie MacNeil at the last edition of SC Worlds in 2022.

Summer McIntosh raced at SC Worlds in 2021, but has improved leaps and bounds since then, coming off winning three gold medals and one silver at the Paris Olympics.

Unlike Walsh, McIntosh isn’t regarded as a better short course swimmer than she is in long course, but that doesn’t remove the possibility she could break a world record or two in Budapest.

At the 2022 World Cup stop in Toronto, McIntosh went 3:52.80 in the 400 free and 4:21.49 in the 400 IM, and given the improvements she’s made since, it’s possible she challenges the world records, which stand at 3:51.30 and 4:18.94, respectively.

In the poll asking readers who they are most excited to see at SC Worlds, Walsh earned nearly a third of votes at 32.3%, trailing Marchand, while McIntosh earned just under 12% and Kate Douglass followed with 8.5%.

Part of Douglass ranking fourth is likely due to the fact we’ve seen her race at the last two editions of SC Worlds, including earning a seven-medal haul two years ago in Melbourne. At that meet, Douglass nearly broke the world record in the women’s 200 IM, and came within a second of the mark in the 200 breast, so it stands to reason she could claim both records later this year.

Although the withdrawal from Kaylee McKeown is a blow, there still promises to be another marquee showdown in the women’s 200 IM with Douglass, McIntosh and Alex Walsh, a replay of sorts of the Paris Olympics where McIntosh edged out Douglass for gold.

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which first-year will make the biggest impact?

 Loading ...

ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE

The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.