The first evening of competition was also marked by a high-level battle in the women’s 400m freestyle final. He might even be able to line up in the 200m breaststroke if his coaches allow him to add a race to his already busy schedule. In Fukuoka, he will also be looking to retain his 200m medley title and go one better than last year’s silver in the 200m butterfly. Marchand brings France its first medal at these World Championships. Read also World Swimming Championships: Australians victorious in the 4x100m freestyle A busy program

His opponents were warned since when he arrived in Japan, he already had the best world performance of the year (4 min 07 sec 80/100), a time established in Rennes during the French Championships when he was only at 50% of his form according to his coach. The Japanese Daiya Seto took third place just ahead of the American Chase Kalisz, Olympic champion in Tokyo two years ago and training partner of the French since this season.įor his entry into the running in these Worlds, the second of his young career, Marchand had quietly managed his semi-final, achieving the second best time in 4 min 10 sec 88/100. While he had distanced his runner-up by two seconds last year, this time he preceded him by more than four seconds. Like last year, the French beat the American Carson Foster, 21 like him. If his name does not yet fully resonate with the general public, things should change by next summer and the Toulousain will undoubtedly be the attraction of the first week of the Paris Olympics. Read also Swimming World Championships: Léon Marchand in the final of the 400m medley Games attractionĪt 21, Léon Marchand is no longer a swimming hope but a phenomenon. “ We must not get bored of these moments, these are moments that are rare“, he said. “ It was crazy! The weather is crazy!“, he savored before receiving his gold medal, precisely from the hands of Phelps, the man with 23 Olympic titles with whom he shares the same coach, the American Bob Bowman.Ī few moments before, he had met his other coach, Frenchman Nicolas Castel, at the edge of the pool, who advised him to “ to profit from“. Marchand improves his own mark by two seconds and sweeps the last individual world record still in force from Phelps, present in Fukuoka for American television. There I break my time by two seconds, I make the record so it’s great“, he added after setting a stratospheric time of 4 min 2 sec 50/100, one second and three tenths less than the time of American legend Michael Phelps. French swimming prodigy Léon Marchand struck a blow on Sunday one year before the Olympic Games, erasing the record of the legendary Michael Phelps from the tabletsto retain his title of world champion in the 400m medley in Fukuoka (Japan) “ It’s excellent, I train every day for it.

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