Noè Ponti Back On Top Of The Podium After 200 Fly Hiatus As Swiss Championships Wrap Up
Noè Ponti won the 200 fly title at last year’s European Short Course Championships in Lublin but he’s been conspicuous in his absence from the four-length event since the Paris Olympics.
Months after finishing fifth at Paris La Défense Arena, he told Swimming World that he was taking a break from the event for the foreseeable future, saying: “I struggle quite a lot especially mentally with it and also physically – it drains me and mentally even more so.”
However, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist faced the challenge once more at the Swiss Championships in Uster where he booked lane four for the final with a 1:58.77 prelim.
Noè Ponti & Roman Mityukov: (Photo by Patrick B. Kraemer / MAGICPBK)
He returned in the evening to lead throughout and come home in 1:56.15, 2.01secs off his Swiss record of 1:54.14 from Paris 2024. Enrico Sottile was second in 1:59.12 with Ilan Gagnebin third home in 2:00.37.
With victory, Ponti added the 200 title to his 50 fly gold and 50 breast silver after he opted to bypass the 100 fly.
Roman Mityukov completed a clean sweep of the backstroke events when he controlled the 100m in 53.43. It was the second-fastest performance of his career standing 0.11 off his 53.32 Swiss record from the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka which he subsequently matched on the leadoff for Genève Natation in the club medley relay in Uster.
It has been a fine meet for Mityukov who opened his individual programme with a 25.10 victory in the 50 back which the Olympic silver medallist followed with a 200 rankings topper of 1:55.36, 0.53 off his 1:54.83 Swiss record set at the 2025 worlds in Singapore.
Flavio Bucca (54.94) and Gian-Luca Gartmann (56.55) joined Mityukov on the podium.
Vanna Djakovic did the 400-800-1500 treble with a comprehensive victory in the longest race in the pool. She came home in 16:50.46 to enjoy a winning margin of more than 30secs.
- Séraphine Hoigné and Angélique Brugger couldn’t be separated in the 50 free with both women touching the wall in 25.91. Angelina Patt was third in 26.31.
- Balint Ashton clinched the men’s 50/100 free double with a 22.57 dash victory. Robin Yeboah was second, 0.04 behind in 22.61 with Nicolo Trenta third home in 22.84.
- Antonio Djakovic won the men’s 400 free in 3:52.56 ahead of Mattia Mauri (3:55.35)
- Annina Grabher held off Loane Richard’s final-50 charge to win the 200 fly by 0.01 in 2:17.30 to 2:17.31
- Gaia Rasmussen came from third at halfway to win the women’s 100 back in 1:02.61 ahead of Anastasia Hak (1:03.07) as Patt claimed her second medal of the day with bronze in 1:03.08