Leon Marchand shatters 200-meter individual medley world record
Racing in the semifinals at the world championships, the Frenchman clocked 1 minute, 52.69 seconds to wipe more than a second off the previous record of 1:54.00 set by Ryan Lochte in 2011.
Marchand beat Michael Phelps' long-standing 400-meter medley record at the world championships in Japan two years ago.
"Actually, I can't believe it right now," said Marchand, who won four individual golds in front of his home fans at the Paris Olympics a year ago and was the face of the Games.
"I knew I was going to be close to my PB (personal best), because I felt really good today and preparation has been pretty good.
"But 1:52 is unbelievable for me."
Marchand, 23, took an extended break from swimming after Paris and only returned to competition in May.
He is focusing on the individual medley events in Singapore and had said he was gunning for Lochte's record.
Marchand got his world championships campaign underway on Wednesday morning, clocking a time of 1:57.63 in the heats.
He said he would go all-out for the record in the semifinals rather than conserve his energy for Thursday's final.
In Wednesday's finals, Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi won the 800 freestyle thanks to a perfectly timed attack.
Jaouadi made his move midway through the race and eased away to touch the wall in 7 minutes, 36.88 seconds, ahead of German pair Sven Schwarz (7:39.96) and 400 champion Lukas Maertens (7:40.19).
Jaouadi, who finished fourth at last year's Paris Olympics, clocked the third-fastest time ever.
"At some point I saw that the rhythm wasn't that fast so I decided to just go and make the move," the 20-year-old said.
Ireland's Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen finished last.
Australia's Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan was just as emphatic in romping to victory in the women's 200 freestyle in 1:53.48.
China's Li Bingjie (1:54.52) was second and Claire Weinstein of the United States (1:54.67) finished third.
O'Callaghan said it had been a "whirlwind."
Since winning gold at the Paris Games, O'Callaghan has been injured and had some badly needed time to recharge.
She has spoken about struggling to live up to the hype since Paris.
"I know it's been hard for a lot of people to come back after the Olympics but very grateful to have a good support team behind me to get me through this mentally and physically," the 21-year-old said.
Luca Urlando of the United States celebrated the biggest title of his career with gold in the 200 butterfly in 1:51.87.
Italy's Simone Cerasuolo pipped Russian Kirill Prigoda to 50 breaststroke gold, touching home in 26.54 seconds.
A "neutral athletes" team made up of Russian swimmers won the mixed 4x100 medley relay, finishing ahead of China and Canada.
After four days of the championships, Australia leads the medal table with four golds, with the United States second with three and Germany and Canada each with two.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Japan Times
Doncic embraces championship hopes after inking $165 million contract extension
Luka Doncic on Saturday said he felt privileged to shoulder championship expectations after officially signing a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic, 26, arrived in Los Angeles in a stunning February trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, the Slovenian superstar has focused on helping the Lakers add another title to their storied collection. "It's an honor to play for this organization," Doncic told a news conference at the team's training center in El Segundo.
Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Japan Times
Imperious Ledecky beats McIntosh to win 800-meter free thriller
American great Katie Ledecky beat Summer McIntosh to win a thrilling 800-meter freestyle title on Saturday and said her rule for the event is simple: "I don't lose 800s." Ledecky won her seventh career gold in the event but she was challenged all the way, touching the wall in a championship-record 8 minutes, 5.62 seconds — a fingertip ahead of Australia's Lani Pallister (8:05.98) and McIntosh (8:07.29). The race was billed as a potential changing of the guard between the 28-year-old Ledecky and McIntosh, a decade her junior and in red-hot form in Singapore. Pallister made sure she inserted her own name into the conversation, but Ledecky had the final word, winning gold again in an event she has dominated for over a decade. "This is my favorite event, it was my first gold," said Ledecky, who made her international breakthrough in the 800 when she won at the London Olympics as a 15-year-old. "Even in practice, if I'm doing 800s I tell myself that. I kind of have this fake rule — I don't lose 800s." It was Canadian sensation McIntosh's first defeat of the championships and ended her bid to match Michael Phelps as the only swimmer ever to win five individual golds at a single world championships. The 18-year-old has already won three golds in Singapore. Ledecky had too much staying power for her younger rival, with Pallister also in gold-medal contention right until the end. "They pushed me all the way," said Ledecky, a four-time Olympic champion in the event. "I'm just really happy I could put that together. I just kept telling myself to trust my legs." Ledecky competes in the final of the women's 800 on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI The eagerly anticipated race began with Ledecky, Pallister and McIntosh all setting a fast pace, with little between them in the opening stages. The lead changed hands several times but Ledecky, swimming between her two rivals, looked best-placed to strike for home. In the end it was the American celebrating with her country's flag on the pool deck after an epic race. "I just knew it was close the whole way, there were times where I thought someone was going to break away," said Ledecky. "I was just happy I was up there. You never know when you dive in what everyone's tactics are going to be." McIntosh is relatively new to the 800 but she threatened Ledecky's world record at the Canadian trials in June. She has another chance to add to her gold tally on the final day in Singapore on Sunday in the 400-meter individual medley, an event in which she broke the world record in June. "I hate losing more than I like winning and I think that's a mentality that I carried with myself through my entire career — and that's my hand on the wall first most of the time," she said. "The feeling right now is something I never want to feel again."
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
Pitcher Darvish Yu commemorated for 204 Japan, MLB combined wins
Japanese pitcher Darvish Yu of the San Diego Padres has been commemorated for his 204 combined wins in Japanese professional baseball and Major League Baseball. A ceremony marking his feat was held at Petco Park in San Diego on Friday. The 38-year-old pitcher recorded his first win of this season in Wednesday's game against the New York Mets. That was his 204th career victory that broke the tie with Kuroda Hiroki, who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Video footage highlighting Darvish's career from his debut with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan to his 204th win was shown on the stadium screen. The crowd cheered when he appeared on the field. Darvish was presented with a commemorative frame containing the uniform he wore in Wednesday's game and that day's lineup. Darvish was photographed with Padres officials and former MLB pitcher Nomo Hideo, who won 201 combined wins. Nomo is now a Padres advisor. After Wednesday's game, Darvish said he is really grateful to Nomo for always being truthful and giving him a lot of advice, even to details.
