Leon Marchand smashes 200 metres individual medley world record in Singapore
Frenchman obliterates Ryan Lochte‘s old mark at the World Aquatics Championships
Leon Marchand broke the world record in the 200 metres individual medley at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Wednesday, before describing the moment as “an explosion of joy”.
The French Olympic champion won his semi-final in one minute and 52.69 seconds to beat the time clocked by Ryan Lochte of the United States in 2011.
Besides writing a new entry in swimming’s history books, Marchand’s efforts earned him one of the US$30,000 prizes that are on offer for those setting new world bests during the competition.
And Marchand, who won four Olympic golds in Paris last year, did more than merely improve the record. He took more than 1.3 seconds off Lochte’s old mark of 1:54.00.
The 23-year-old will have a chance to break the record again – and pocket a further US$30,000 – when he lines up for the final at the Singapore Sports Hub on Thursday.
“I actually can’t really believe it right now,” Marchand said. “I knew I was going to get close to my PB, because I felt really good today, and the preparation has been pretty good, so I was really excited to race. It’s unbelievable for me.