French swimmer Leon Marchand has shattered the men’s 200m individual medley record, clocking a time of 1:52.69 at the World Championships in Singapore.
The previous world record of 1:54.00 had been set by Ryan Lochte at the World Championships in Shanghai in 2011, with Marchand shaving nearly one and a half seconds off the American’s time.
Marchand, who won four Olympic gold medals at last year’s Games in Paris, set the new benchmark in his semi-final on Wednesday and could in theory break the record again in the final on Thursday.
“I knew I was going to get close because I felt good yesterday [in qualifying],” he said, adding that his decision to race a lighter schedule this year was “probably the right decision”.
He took an extended break after his Olympic triumph, skipping last year’s Worlds, and injuries kept him out of competition until this May.
The 23-year-old is only competing in the 200m and 400m medley and relays in Singapore, and also holds the world record for the 400m individual medley, setting a time of 4:02.50 in the 2023 Worlds in Fukuoka.
Marchand won both world individual medley titles in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the event, as well as at the Paris Olympics, with his other two golds at the Games coming in the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.
As well as putting him in pole position to pick up another world title on Thursday, Marchand also earned $30,000 for breaking the world record.
