Medal hopes live on Swiss swimmers are dreaming big at the Olympic Games

Swiss Aquatics has returned from recent major events - from the Tokyo Olympics to the World Championships in Fukuoka and Doha and the European Championships in Rome and Belgrade - with more medals than ever before.

Thanks in particular to Noè Ponti and Roman Mityukov, Switzerland can also hope to finish in the top three in Paris. In addition to Ponti, the Olympic bronze medal winner in the 100-metre dolphin in Tokyo, and Mityukov, the two-time World Championship medal winner in the 200-metre backstroke, the duo of Antonio Djakovic and Thierry Bollin have also cleared the qualification hurdle.

Surprisingly, Jérémy Desplanches will also be competing not only as a relay swimmer but also as an individual. The Geneva native received an invitation from World Aquatics to take part in the 200-metre medley due to the B-limit he achieved, a distance on which he finished ninth at the World Championships and fifth at the European Championships this year.

Breaststroke specialist Lisa Mamié did not meet the Olympic limit - despite winning bronze at the European Championships in the 200 meters. However, the Zurich native was awarded a starting place by the IOC due to the universality rule. Mamié benefits from the fact that no other Swiss woman has qualified for Paris.

Nils Liess and Tiago Behar were also selected. However, this duo will only take part in the 4x100 meter medley and 4x200 meter crawl relays.

Ponti on course despite European Championship forfeit

Noè Ponti clearly has the best chance of winning a medal in Paris. The 23-year-old from Ticino swam very strong times at the Swiss Championships in April. He lowered his national record in the 100-meter dolphin to 50.16 seconds. Only five athletes have ever been faster than Ponti over this distance.

It was unfortunate that he recently had to withdraw from the European Championships in Belgrade as the fastest swimmer in the preliminaries in his discipline of choice due to illness. Markus Buck, Head of Competitive Swimming at Swiss Aquatics, is nevertheless confident for Paris. His excellent time from the preliminary heat, swum with health problems and without tapering, showed that Ponti is on course, says Buck.

Being the boss in Paris

Roman Mityukov also gained a lot of self-confidence at the last major events. The 23-year-old from Geneva is one of the absolute world leaders in the 200-metre backstroke. Runner-up at the 2024 World Championships - just a tenth away from the title -, third at the 2023 World Championships and twice third at the European Championships (2024 and 2021), plus sixth place at the Summer Games in Tokyo, Mityukov almost always delivered as required over the longest backstroke distance. The fact that he only won bronze instead of gold in Belgrade only disappointed him for a short time. His main goal is Paris, "that's where it counts. At the Games, you have to be the boss," says Mityukov.

Like Mityukov, Antonio Djakovic swam his way into the top 3 at the European Championships in Belgrade last month - and without any special preparation for the competition. The 21-year-old from Zurich wants to at least reach the final at the Summer Games. At his Olympic debut in Tokyo, he missed out on this goal by just 0.14 seconds in ninth place in the 400 meter crawl. Having recently finished third in the 200 and 400 meter crawl at the European Championships in Belgrade, the hundredths should also speak for Djakovic in Paris.

For Jérémy Desplanches, who won Olympic bronze in the 200-metre medley in 2021, Lisa Mamié (European champion in the 200-metre breaststroke in Rome in 2022) and Thierry Bollin, who punched his Olympic ticket in the 100-metre backstroke at the Swiss Championships in Uster in April, the focus in Paris will be on getting through the heats. Advancing to the final would also be a big surprise for the two relay teams.

SDA