FLASH! Leon Marchand Destroys World Record in Short-Course 200 IM; Takes Down Ryan Lochte Standard
The man who starred at the Olympic Games in Paris has checked in with another eye-opening performance, as Frenchman Leon Marchand shattered the world record in the 200-meter individual medley during the World Cup stop in Singapore on Friday night.
Marchand posted a time of 1:48.88 to take .75 off the previous standard, the 1:49.63 delivered by American Ryan Lochte at the 2012 World Short Course Championships in Istanbul. Marchand had set the European record at 1:50.30 at the World Cup stop in Shanghai.
Given his prowess in the sport, as a four-time Olympic champion, there was speculation heading into the World Cup series that Marchand would threaten a world record during his stint in Asia. Indeed, that scenario unfolded in Singapore, with the former Arizona State University star getting under world-record pace by the midway point of the race.
Marchand opened with a butterfly split of 23.76, which put him just .05 off the pace established by Lochte more than a decade ago. By the end of backstroke leg, Marchand was at 50.42, compared to the 50.76 of Lochte. The Frenchman touched at the 150-meter mark in 1:21.60, nearly a second ahead of the 1:22.48 of Lochte. From there, Marchand held on to register his latest world record.
Splits from both record swims, plus Marchand in Shanghai:
- Lochte, 2012: 23.71 – 27.03 – 31.74 – 27.15 – 1:49.63
- Marchand, Shanghai: 23.59 – 27.29 – 31.86 – 27.56 – 1:50.30
- Marchand, Singapore: 23.76 – 26.66 – 31.18 – 27.28 – 1:48.88
The world record is Marchand’s second, to go with the 400 IM standard long-course. He holds five European records.
At the Olympic Games in Paris, Marchand was the gold medalist in the 200 individual medley, 400 IM, 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly. It was a performance that ranks among the greatest in the sport’s history, and delighted the home crowd at La Defense Arena. Now, he is flashing his brilliance in the short-course pool, much like he did when dominating the NCAA scene for Arizona State.
Marchand plans to compete at next month’s World Short Course Championships in Budapest, where additional world-record pursuits are expected.