Noè Ponti is traveling to the European Short Course Championships, which begin on Tuesday in Lublin, Poland, with a broad chest. The 23-year-old, who won three titles in 2023, is aiming for another big performance.
02.12.2025, 05:00
02.12.2025, 07:18
SDA
"I had a good summer vacation and was able to recover. I had a good time and then trained with the group again in September," says the exceptional swimmer from Ticino in an interview with Keystone-SDA. Before the break, the summer had been a successful one for him in sporting terms: At the World Long Course Championships in Singapore at the end of July/beginning of August, he had won silver in the 50 m and 100 m dolphin.
Getting back into training felt easier this time than in 2024. "Back then, I had a disappointment to deal with," Ponti recalls of the Olympic Games in Paris, where he narrowly missed the podium in the 100 m and 200 m dolphin. "That wasn't the case this year." He completed his workload with corresponding motivation: he had covered more kilometers in September 2025 than in 2024. And you could see that in his performance. "I was faster in the 100 m dolphin," emphasizes the 24-year-old.
The competitions in October at the World Cup in the small pool confirmed the upward trend. Ten starts, ten podium places, two victories - a record that Ponti describes as "very satisfactory".
On paper, Ponti travels to Lublin as number 1: he leads the European short course rankings in the 50 m, 100 m and 200 m dolphin. And he is in third place in the 100 m in the 25 m pool. He has his sights set on these four disciplines again. The swimmer from Ticino has planned the same competition program as at the last continental championships in the small pool two years ago in Otopeni. In Romania, he won gold in the dolphin style over 50 m, 100 m and 200 m, as well as silver in the 100 m medley.
"In the end, I can't hide. As always, I will give my best in Lublin and hope to bring something home with me," he said with regard to his goals. "As always, you have to be in shape, even in top form. I can do that and I think it's possible." He did not openly say that he is aiming for the dolphin triple - but the direction is clear.
