Léon Marchand aiming to break the 200 individual medley record at the swimming world championships
SINGAPORE (AP) — It's only a semifinal race, but all eyes at the swimming world championships Wednesday will be on Léon Marchand as the Frenchman goes after the world record in the 200-meter individual medley.
Marchand won four individual gold medals a year ago at the Paris Olympics. But in these worlds he's swimming only the 200 and 400 medley — and a few relays — with his focus on taking down records.
This is Day 4 in Singapore and Marchand's first appearance, due to his lighter schedule.
American Ryan Lochte holds the 200 IM record (1 minute, 54.00 seconds) and Marchand set the 400 IM record (4:02.5) at the 2003 worlds in Fukuoka, Japan.
Five finals are set for Wednesday, and the Americans have a good shot in two. Claire Weinstein has the top qualifying time in the women's 200 freestyle with defending Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan of Australia just behind.
Luca Urlando leads the 200 butterfly qualifiers. He's aiming to be the first American since Michael Phelps in 2011 to win the world title in this event. It's also notable that Marchand isn't swimming. Marchand was the gold medalist in this event in Paris.
Ahmed Jaouadi of Tunisia had the top qualifying time going into the 800 freestyle final. Australia's Sam Short is the other top contender.
Qin Haiyang of China is the favorite in the 50 breaststroke. He's already won the 100 breaststroke in these worlds. He swept the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke two years ago at the worlds in Fukuoka.
The day's last final is the mixed 4x100 medley relay.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool FC News: Hugo Ekitike confirms GENIUS Arne Slot move
Liverpool's transfer decisions this summer have mostly been risk-free, despite their expense. Of course, no piece of recruitment business is every guaranteed to succeed and the season still hasn't started yet, but you can't help but feel encouraged watching the team in pre-season games. 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas home range 🚨2025/26 LFC x adidas range🚨 LFC x adidas Shop the goalkeeper range today LFC x adidas Shop the new adidas range today! Jeremie Frimpong's move for £30m is considered a steal since he can cover a few different positions, the £45m spent on Milos Kerkez felt understandable after last season' extraordinary campaign and then you're left with Florian Wirtz's club-record fee - £100m plus £16m add-ons. The German will have to do a lot before his fee is justified, but considering he's already viewed as being 'world class' at 22 years old, the signs are promising that he can be generational for us. 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas away range After that, the focus lands on Hugo Ekitike, who's move certainly a risk that Liverpool chose to take. Slot's genius move with Ekitike I say this a little tongue in cheek, knowing that I'm basing this opinion off a pre-season game and his £69m plus £10m fee was definitely an over-pay based on returns he's delivered at 23 years old. But the Frenchman was particularly impressive on Monday night against Athletic Club, starting the game as the team's striker, since Darwin Nunez played and excelled in the Reds' earlier game. The 45 minutes he played against Yokohama FM last week were particularly difficult to judge - it was his debut and the match was just a week after Ekitike joined the club. His appearance was more about getting used to what an Arne Slot team was like to play in, no one had any real expectations. But at Anfield, the vibe was a little different, with a maturing team playing with a great freedom about themselves, now the social bonds between the players had been given a chance to develop. And it showed in the performance - you were left thinking, 'this team's potential is absolutely massive'. One of the reasons behind such a feeling was the opening goal of the contest, created by Ekitike taking the ball down the left-hand side and driving a pass into Mohamed Salah's feet to finish off. Not only did that moment give the fans something clear to look back on when it comes to working out why Liverpool felt the need to spend up to £79m on him, but it showcased how multi-functional a player he can be, which is going to be essential if the links with Alexander Isak actually materialise. Ekitike was fielded as a striker and he had a couple of shots on goal that were threatening, but his ability to communicate with Cody Gakpo without any words needing to be exchanged, deciding to move into the space and set-up a scoring chance was incredible. It's everything you want to see. Across his 57-minute appearance, he delivered two key passes, an accurate long-ball, two big chances created and two duels won from five. It's a friendly after all, but in my view, he proved that left-wing is definitely a position that he could play, and with relative ease, alongside moving centrally. Isak's potential transfer might lead to Ekitike playing down the left-side a bit more, but he's going to be competing for his preferred position. It's only healthy that you aren't allowed to sit on your laurels. So the Frenchman's flexibility appears to have made his transfer a genius move. Other strikers wouldn't be a comfortable at left-wing as he is and by signing Ekitike rather than a Benjamin Sesko or a Viktor Gyokeres, the Reds now have options, since Luis Diaz has left to join Bayern Munich. Whether we see Isak join or not, the team will be fine. Ekitike was superb for Eintracht Frankfurt last season and I'm sure we'll see him flourish under Arne Slot, although I admit the Premier League is a very different animal to the Bundesliga; but the two could definitely play in the same front three.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Comeback Kid Announce ‘Wake The Dead' 20th Anniversary Australian Tour
Comeback Kid have announced an Australian tour for early 2026, taking place across late January and early February. The tour will mark the band's first in three years, and comes after their recent announcement on the Froth & Fury line-up alongside the likes of Polaris, Soulfly and In Hearts Wake. The full list of tour dates, as well as pre-sale and ticketing information, can be found below. The tour will see the Canadian hardcore veterans playing their breakthrough album Wake The Dead in its entirety, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. They will be joined on all dates by American hardcore band Gridiron, who are making their debut in Australia as part of the tour, as well as Sydney band Phantoms for all dates except the Perth date and the Froth & Fury festival in Adelaide. In a statement shared to social media, the band noted that Australia was the first place that they performed Wake The Dead live when they toured in 2005. 'What a place to celebrate this amazing year,' they wrote. Comeback Kid – 'Wake The Dead' Wake The Dead, Comeback Kid's second album, was released in February 2005. It was the band's last to feature their original lead vocalist Scott Wade, who departed the band a year after its release. Andrew Neufeld, who was the band's rhythm guitarist at the time, took over on vocals and has held the position ever since. Only he and lead guitarist Jeremy Hiebert remain from the band's original line-up; they have been joined by rhythm guitarist Stu Ross since 2012 and bassist Chase Brenneman since 2015. Their current touring drummer is Terrance Pettitt. Gridiron were formed in 2020, featuring alumni from hardcore bands such as Year Of The Knife and Never Ending Game. Their second studio album, Poetry From Pain, was released earlier this year. Phantoms, meanwhile, are veterans of the Australian hardcore scene. Originally prominent in the mid-to-late 2000s, the band reunited a handful of years ago and have since released two EPs of new material: 2022's Hell Is Empty and 2024's All The Devils Are Here, both on Last Ride Records. Comeback Kid Wake The Dead 2026 Tour Friday, January 30th – Amplifier Bar, Perth WA* Saturday, January 31st – Adelaide Showgrounds, Adelaide SA* Sunday, February 1st – Prince Bandroom, Melbourne VIC Wednesday, February 4th – Manning Bar, Sydney NSW Thursday, February 5th – Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle NSW Friday, February 6th – Crowbar, Brisbane QLD * – Phantoms not appearing. A pre-sale for the tour will go live from 5pm local time today (Wednesday, July 30th). General sale will follow on Thursday, July 31st at 11am local time. Both can be accessed via . Bullet For My Valentine Announce 2025 Australian Tour Prince of Darkness Departs: Ozzy Osbourne Dies Aged 76 The Darkness Announce 'Dreams On Toast' 2026 Australian Tour The post Comeback Kid Announce 'Wake The Dead' 20th Anniversary Australian Tour appeared first on Music Feeds. Solve the daily Crossword
NBC News
35 minutes ago
- NBC News
He needed a graveyard shift at UPS to pay for training. Now he's a U.S. champion sprinter
After winning the 400-meter title at the U.S. track and field championships Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, Jacory Patterson returned to find his phone filled with congratulatory messages. Among the well-wishers were some of Patterson's former co-workers. They had seen him operate under pressure at a fast pace before — at a UPS distribution center in South Carolina. As Patterson, 25, showed in Oregon after cruising one lap in 44.16 seconds to win his first individual national title, his speed is unique. Yet his decision to fund his training via a graveyard shift packing boxes into the back of UPS delivery trucks is rooted in a reality that is common throughout his sport. It's hard to make a living in track and field. 'I can definitely say it's a little tougher being unsponsored for sure, because you have no money,' Patterson said in an interview Sunday. 'Everything is coming out of your pockets. And then, having to balance that with getting into meets, paying for gear, paying for spikes and all the things that go into track? And then having to pay your own bills, too; you know, rent, car bills, gas, groceries, like the whole nine yards.' In many major North American professional sports, a single entity such as the NBA, NFL or MLB collects revenue from media rights, merchandising and other licensing and pays out a share to its athletes under the terms of an agreement that has been collectively bargained with their union. Track and field, however, has no single, premier league, and their athletes also have no union. The combination makes established and aspiring pro runners alike the world's fastest freelancers, whose income is dependent on a piecemeal combination that can include endorsements, appearance fees, prize money and money earned from social media and grants. As Patterson can attest, not all of those revenue streams are guaranteed. At last week's U.S. championships, it was not uncommon to see some of the sport's highest-paid and most-decorated athletes, including champion sprinter Noah Lyles, competing alongside peers scratching out a living. On Sunday, Dylan Beard made the U.S. team that will compete in September's world championships in Tokyo in the 110-meter hurdles. To go to the meet, however, the unsponsored hurdler will need to ask for time off from his day job in the deli of a North Carolina Walmart. Patterson left the University of Florida powerhouse campus in 2023 with a pair of NCAA relay championships but his times were not fast enough to earn an all-important sponsorship contract with a shoe company. Shoe companies provide the bulk of money for track athletes though some, but not all, companies utilize so-called 'reduction clauses' to cut an athlete's earnings if certain performance marks are not met. These contracts are almost never made public. The most lucrative, such as the one Adidas holds with Lyles, and a five-year, $11 million deal signed by former Olympic champion Andre de Grasse with Puma, are the exception, not the rule, and even then would make them firmly middle class by NBA, MLB and NFL standards. The 2024 Olympic Trials presented a breakout opportunity for Patterson to make the case for himself to brands, but he didn't advance out of the first round. It didn't shake his confidence in his potential, but he did question how much it would cost him out of pocket to realize it. So, as the world watched the Paris Olympics, Patterson moved to his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, and last August began a job at UPS. From 10:45 p.m. until nearly 5 a.m., Patterson stood alongside a conveyer belt, picking up boxes containing everything from couches to refrigerators and loading them into delivery trucks. He could pack up to four trucks in a shift, he said. Patterson did not find the work discouraging, instead persuading himself that while his peers literally slept, he was getting stronger. His mother joked to Patterson that his night shift was like his second workout of the day. That was because, hours earlier, he'd already had a first. After sleeping for three hours following his shift with UPS, Patterson would wake and start training from around 8:30 a.m. until just after lunch. Then, he would fall asleep until the evening, and start the process over. 'I would be on the trucks, late night, loading the boxes and not one time did I think, 'I want to stop this, this is too much,'' Patterson said. 'Not once did I ever let that thought cross my mind. I always knew I was gonna keep going with this, because this, it's in my heart.' 'You've got to just have faith the size of a mustard seed, and just keep the ball rolling,' he added. An injection of new money into the sport was supposed to make earning a living from track easier. Several new competitions announced their intentions to stage new meets in 2025, the most lucrative of which was Grand Slam Track. Fronted by former Olympic champion Michael Johnson, and backed by an announced $30 million in funding, the circuit announced it would host four meets and would not only pay out $3 million in total prize money, but crucially also pay a group who agreed to sign on a contractual, six-figure salary. When Patterson opened his season in April by running 44.27 seconds at a meet in Florida, potential sponsors began to call his agent, he said. It helped him earn a wild-card entry a month later to a Grand Slam Track meet in Florida, where he ran a personal-best 43. Only two men in the world have run faster in the three months since, making Patterson a legitimate threat to win a gold medal at September's world championships in Tokyo. Even better, the race also earned him $50,000 — a career-changing sum in a sport whose longest-established, and highest-profile meet circuit comparatively paid Patterson one-fifth that amount for winning a 400 at one of its meets in late May. Yet months after he earned the money, the $50,000 owed to Patterson by Grand Slam Track still has not been paid, he said, adding he believes the money will arrive in September. Under a funding shortfall, the circuit ended its season after only three meets, and it has yet to pay any athletes for prize money from its first two competitions, in Jamaica and Florida. The company is "recapitalizing," a spokesperson said in a statement, and "is anticipating investor funds to hit our account imminently, and the athletes are our top priority. Once these funds are received on our end, we will work to immediately process them to the athletes." What Patterson's performance at Grand Slam did provide, more immediately, was an overnight spike in attention from potential sponsors. By late May, Patterson quietly put in his two weeks' notice with his UPS manager. On June 5, the day after Patterson announced his long-awaited sponsorship with the sportswear giant Nike, he worked his final day loading boxes. 'Everybody (at UPS) was like, man, go chase that dream,' Patterson said. Part of that dream was realized when he won the U.S. title Saturday while crossing the finish line in a Nike singlet. 'It's not always gonna be easy,' he said. 'If it would, you know, everybody would be U.S. champion.' Patterson said he understands why his time UPS has drawn so much interest. The notion of an athlete needing a second job to fund a first love is largely unheard of in major domestic leagues. Still, he said he wants to be known for more than just what he did at his former workplace. And he will be at September's world championships, should Patterson deliver the goods, once again.
