Noè Ponti is the world record holder in the 50 m dolphin at the World Short Course Championships in Budapest. What sets him apart and how does he want to be top at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles?
10.12.2024, 05:00
10.12.2024, 06:40
SDA
Noè Ponti will start as the world record holder in the 50 m dolphin at the Short Course World Championships in Budapest, which begin on Tuesday. What sets him apart and how does he want to be top at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles?
Ponti travelled to Budapest on Saturday, and the 50 m dolphin, the discipline in which the 23-year-old from Ticino set two world records at the World Cups in Shanghai and Singapore, is already on the program on Tuesday. Overall, he improved the record by an incredible 25 hundredths.
Approachable and relaxed
How is this possible? The short course suits Ponti's abilities even better, because his underwater phase after the turn is incredibly good. There are children's videos of him performing the dolphin movement quite naturally. "He simply has the feeling, the physique, but also the explosiveness and the speed for this wave movement," says Markus Buck, Head of Competitive Sports at Swiss Aquatics, in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. "Many others fail because they are too immobile or can only manage the fast, powerful movement in one direction, i.e. not really as a wave." Pablo Kutscher, head coach of SC Uster, puts it in a nutshell: "Many people are not made for the water. He, on the other hand, swims like a seal."
Apart from his exceptional talent for swimming, what makes Ponti stand out? "That he has retained his approachability and relaxed attitude and that he is extremely focused and ambitious," says Buck. "When things don't go his way, he evaluates and learns the necessary lessons. At the same time, he doesn't let the whole thing get too close to him. That's a good combination. And he is always open to new ideas and thinks along with us."
Ponti also uses his popularity and tries to give something back. He is very socially committed, for example in Kenya, where he was after the Olympic Games. A story that suits him: He recently started competing for SC Uster, but continues to train mainly in Tenero under Massimo Meloni and Andrea Mercuri. Nevertheless, he did not miss the opportunity to help out. When it was SC Uster's turn to collect paper, he traveled all the way from Ticino.
New attractions for the 2028 Olympic Games
Now it's time for the short course world championships. Ponti is entered in five disciplines - in addition to the 50 m dolphin, the 100 m dolphin, 100 and 200 m medley as well as the 50 m crawl. However, he will not start everywhere, but will decide on the spot. The tendency is that he will compete in the 50 and 100 m dolphin and 100 m medley. 200 m dolphin is currently not an issue for him, which is why he is looking for a third discipline. "I was very good in the 200 m medley as a junior," says Ponti. "It's mentally very important that I don't just train dolphin."
In general, he wants to use the next two years with a view to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles to try out new things and see what works and what doesn't. He is not planning to hold training camps in new locations this season, but next season. "It's very nice in St. Moritz and Lanzarote, but when I go there, it's as if I'm at home now. I know everything," says Ponti.
Experiments are being made with altitude training. Ponti can also imagine trying out new things in the gym. He recently started doing Pilates. He has also been given the opportunity to train with top international athletes on a regular basis. Buck also sees potential in increased collaboration between the three Swiss cracks Ponti, Antonio Djakovic and Roman Mityukov. Buck: "It's the nuances that make the difference. That's why he has a great team of experts around him. He has developed a good balance in order to be injury-resistant."
Simply have fun
For now, however, Ponti's full focus is on the competitions in Budapest. Is only the first gold medal in the 50 m dolphin at a short course world championship after two silver and one bronze good enough? "I know that everyone is expecting the title. But there are many who have trained better. I just want to swim well and have fun," says Ponti.
His preparation was not ideal in that he joined the top athletes' RS after the Asian tour. During the three-week basic training, a maximum of one training session per day was possible. "The season after the Olympic Games isn't that important, so it's okay that I'm doing the RS now," says Ponti.
He also saw at the World Cups in Asia how good he is even with less training when he is mentally on top of his game. He also took a break for a month and a half after the Olympic Games. "I had no pressure, was very relaxed and unbreakable. That's why it worked so well," Ponti looks back. "The goal would be to always have the same mentality as at the World Cups, which is not easy." In Paris (at the Olympic Games), not everything was right in private. "But I was able to learn from that, because it's not possible to control everything all the time." However, the signs for Budapest are promising.
