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 polls asked SwimSwam readers what the top story of the last 12 months has been:
Question: What was the biggest story of 2024?
RESULTS
- Marchand goes 4-for-4 individually at home Olympics – 51.0%
- Chinese doping scandal – 16.9%
- Bowman wins NCAA title with ASU, takes Texas job – 11.9%
- Gretchen Walsh‘s LCM breakout/SC Worlds dominance – 7.9%
- U.S. team historically poor Olympic performance – 7.9%
- Paris Olympic pool depth controversy – 4.4%
Leon Marchand‘s evolution into the world’s best male swimmer intertwined perfectly with the Olympics being held on his home turf in Paris, and the Frenchman’s dominant performance at the Games was clearly the top swimming story of 2024.
In our latest poll, Marchand going a perfect four-for-four in individual gold medals in Paris was selected as the biggest story of the year by 51% of readers, no surprise as his performance transcended swimming and made him a household name in France and around the world.
The only thing that would’ve made Marchand’s Olympic performance even better would’ve been if he had broken a world record (or maybe even the French winning the men’s medley relay), as he swam the 2nd-fastest times ever and new Olympic Records en route to wins in the men’s 200 breast (2:05.85), 200 IM (1:54.06) and 400 IM (4:02.95), adding another Olympic Record and ranking #2 all-time in the 200 fly (1:51.21).
Marchand was heavily favored to win gold in both medley events, but in the 200 breast and 200 fly, he was facing the defending Olympic champions in Zac Stubblety-Cook (200 breast) and Kristof Milak (200 fly), and managed to beat them head-to-head, on the same night of racing no less, under pressure in front of the French crowd.
His performances in the pool, which also included winning bronze after swimming the breaststroke leg on the French men’s 4×100 medley relay, led him to be the athlete who extinguished the Olympic Cauldron at the Closing Ceremonies with the world watching. Last month, Marchand finished 2nd in AP Male Athlete of the Year voting, only trailing MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The topic of SwimSwam’s two most-read articles of the year was also included in the poll: The depth of the competition pool in Paris, and the initial breaking story relating to the Chinese doping scandal.
Like Marchand, the Chinese doping scandal was a global story that transcended swimming and became mainstream, and how the World Anti-Doping Agency handled it is still in dispute and having ramifications.
The doping scandal ranked 2nd in the poll with 16.9% of votes, while the pool depth controversy garnered the fewest number of votes at just 4.4%.
Conversations about the depth of the pool slowly died down as the swimming competition in Paris wore on—we initially were seeing the majority of winning times significantly slower than past major championships, but the number of world records climbed late in the meet to go along with several swims ranking in the top 10 all-time.
Behind Marchand and the Chinese doping case, the third-biggest story according to readers was Bob Bowman‘s triumph at Arizona State, leading Marchand and the Sun Devil men to their first NCAA title in program history, and then moving on and taking over as the head coach at the University of Texas just two days later.
Gretchen Walsh‘s breakout year in meters, which included breaking the world record in the long course 100 fly and then rewriting the record books at Short Course Worlds, tied with the U.S. team’s historically poor Olympic performance with 7.9% of votes apiece.
The American team won eight gold and 28 total swimming medals in Paris, with the gold medal tally marking their lowest since 1956. Their total medal tally was their lowest since 2004 (also 28).
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: What was the biggest achievement of Katinka Hosszu‘s legendary career?
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
The number of SCM WRs at worlds not mentioned?
Small typo : France won bronze in the men’s medley relay, not silver !