Marchand says 'passion' burns bright on road to 2028 Olympics
The French superstar took an extended break from swimming after wowing his home fans with four individual golds at the Paris Olympics last year.
He announced his return in grand style in Singapore, smashing the 200m medley world record that had stood since 2011 on his way to gold.
He completed the double with another imperious victory in the 400m IM, touching the wall in 4min 04.73sec, more than three seconds ahead of Japan's Tomoyuki Matsushita (4:08.32), with Russian Ilia Borodin (4:09.16) third.
Marchand said his performances showed he still has the hunger to succeed on the long road towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"It's not perfect, because it's never perfect, but it's more than I expected, especially the world record in the 200m medley," said the 23-year-old.
"It shows that I still have a passion for swimming, that I love it.
"It's still what I like the most, and that I want to continue."
Marchand started the final in lane one after a below-par performance in the morning heats, which saw him qualify seventh fastest.
But normality was restored in the final as he took an early lead before obliterating his rivals as the race progressed.
Marchand broke Michael Phelps's 400m IM world record two years ago in Japan but his time in Singapore was more than two seconds outside his best mark.
"Physically, it was very difficult, more than usual," he said.
"I was really heavy in the water in breaststroke and crawl, but I gave it my all because I wanted to be close to my record."
amk/pst
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings as 7s and 6s awarded after feisty 3-1 defeat at Marseille
Aston Villa's penultimate pre-season friendly of the summer against Marseille ended in a 3-1 defeat at the Stade Vélodrome. The hosts took the lead in the fifth minute when Mason Greenwood capitalised on a mistake by Tyrone Mings, who failed to deal with a ball over the top. Greenwood rounded Marco Bizot before finishing into an empty net. Villa responded just three minutes later through John McGinn. Amadou Onana advanced possession to Jacob Ramsey, who turned and threaded a pass through to McGinn. The captain raced in on goal and lifted the ball over goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. READ MORE: What Tyrone Mings did to Mason Greenwood as former Man Utd man lashes out in feisty friendly READ MORE: Newcastle handed fresh injury concern ahead of Aston Villa after Alexander Isak update Unai Emery made no changes at the break, with another set of first-team stars expected to feature against Villarreal in southern Spain on Sunday. Bizot started in goal against Marseille, behind a defence of Matty Cash, Lamare Bogarde, Mings and Lucas Digne. Onana and George Hemmings operated in the double pivot, while Samuel Iling-Junior, McGinn and Ramsey supported striker Donyell Malen. Emery made a couple of changes just before the 70th minute as he introduced Emi Buendia and new signing Evann Guessand. The latter's first contribution was to put in a sliding tackle which earned him a yellow card. He was the fourth Villa man to go in the book after Cash, McGinn and Malen at the stage of the game. With 15 minutes to play, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came off the bench to put Marseille in front, finishing past Bizot at the far post. The former Arsenal striker then extended Marseille's lead, tapping in Greenwood's cross from the right. It was a feisty friendly, with a number of Villa and Marseille players booked, particularly at the end of the second half. Mason Greenwood came off without a shirt after his was ripped having grappled with Tyrone Mings, while Neal Maupay was booked just minutes after coming on after an unnecessary tackle on Boubacar Kamara. CJ Egan-Riley also put in a firm tackle on Alex Moreno in the second half, which earned him a booking. Marco Bizot Bizot is more than an adequate back-up goalkeeper - he will be trusted to deputise for Emi Martinez when required. Not a whole lot he could do to prevent the goals he conceded. 6 Matty Cash Adventurous out on the right, he was encouraged to get forward to support the attack and provide natural width. Defensively, Cash dealt well with long diagonal balls and competed strongly in duels. He was on a tightrope after being booked in the first half, however. 6 Lamare Bogarde Bogarde has proven his worth in the squad during pre-season - now he'll have to step it up in competitive games next season, as there's no doubt he can be a valuable asset. 6 Tyrone Mings Mings made a mistake on the edge of the box, failing to deal with a ball over the top and allowing Greenwood to get in behind and score. He recovered well from that error, and in the 28th minute, he made an important block to prevent Amine Gouiri from finishing a cross inside the box. Defended well one-on-one against Aubameyang as the former Arsenal man led a counter-attack in the 74th minute. 6 Lucas Digne Digne was steady at left-back for the most part and didn't allow Greenwood much joy in the wide areas until he tired at the end of the game. Digne didn't have too many opportunities to push forward and occupy advanced areas on the left flank. 6 Amadou Onana Made a strong block early on before powering forward and winning a foul. He progressed the ball to Ramsey, who then turned and played McGinn in on goal to score. Pinched the ball in the 29th minute, allowing Malen to stretch his legs on the counter-attack. 7* George Hemmings Always comfortable receiving the ball and never hides from responsibility in possession. Worked hard off the ball too, tracking runners beyond the full-backs. Another impressive display from the 18-year-old. 7 Samuel Iling-Junior Operated from the right, but also spent time inside in the number 10 role. Worked very hard off the ball, chasing and pressing opponents across the pitch. Showed quick feet to escape pressure and win fouls. 6 John McGinn Showed good movement off the ball, playing in the number 10 role in support of Malen. That allowed him to get behind the Marseille defence before chipping the ball over Rulli to equalise shortly after Greenwood's opener. FIt and ready for the new season. 7 Jacob Ramsey Ramsey threaded the ball through to McGinn to equalise and was a constant threat on the left side. He laid the ball on a plate for McGinn again before the half-hour mark, but the Scot couldn't hit the target. 7 Donyell Malen Marseille struggled to deal with Malen's movement at times. Although isolated on occasions, he made things happen when he had the chance to beat his man and get Villa up the pitch. Didn't get that chance he would've wanted to get a goal. 6 SUBS Emi Buendia (for Ramsey, 69'): Villa were second best after the break, so Buendia struggled to get on the ball. 6 Evann Guessand (for Malen, 69'): The new man went up top for the final 20 minutes of the game. His first action was to put in a slide tackle, which earned him a yellow card. 6 Alex Moreno (for Digne, 81'): N/A Youri Tielemans (for Hemmings, 81'): N/A Ezri Konsa (for Cash, 81'): N/A Bradley Burrowes (for Iling-Junior, 81'): N/A Boubacar Kamara (for Hemmings, 81'): N/A Subs not used: Martinez, Proctor, Watkins, Pau, Maatsen, Bailey, Dobbin, Rowe, Patterson, Jimoh-Aloba, Mosquera. GOALS Marseille: Greenwood (5'), Aubameyang (75', 81') Aston Villa: McGinn (8') What did you make of Villa's performance? Tell us here
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What Tyrone Mings did to Mason Greenwood as former Man Utd man lashes out in feisty friendly
Aston Villa lost their penultimate pre-season friendly 3-1 against Marseille, in what proved to be a hotly contested affair at the Stade Vélodrome. New signing Evann Guessand became the fourth Villa player to be booked, when he committed a foul in the 70th minute - a decision that looked harsh. Matty Cash, John McGinn, and Donyell Malen had already received yellow cards, as he allowed very little to go unpunished in the first hour. READ MORE: John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings as 7s and 6s awarded after feisty 3-1 defeat at Marseille READ MORE: Newcastle handed fresh injury concern ahead of Aston Villa after Alexander Isak update However, the referee struggled to maintain control of the game, and Marseille's players took advantage, seemingly making fouls simply to rouse their sell-out crowd. With the ferocity of this so-called 'friendly' threatening to boil over, tensions finally erupted late on when Mason Greenwood kicked out at Amadou Onana. The former Manchester United man had evaded a couple of tackles before losing possession, and in frustration, kicked Onana in a challenge that made no attempt to win the ball. Greenwood then shoved Onana, before becoming entangled in a grappling match with Tyrone Mings. The Villa defender exchanged words with Greenwood and appeared to leave him with a ripped shirt. Moments later, Greenwood was substituted, leaving the pitch without his jersey. Before the final whistle, Unai Emery was seen arguing with Roberto De Zerbi on the touchline. The Villa manager will be frustrated by his side's second-half display - they were second-best - but ultimately relieved to leave France without any injuries to his squad. What did you make of Villa's performance? Tell us here
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
OM: Aubameyang already finds his scoring touch again
Aubameyang On Saturday evening, in OM's final pre-season match, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bagged a brace against Aston Villa. With his two goals against Aston Villa, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the standout performer in this last warm-up game for OM at the Vélodrome. Marseille sealed a convincing 3-1 victory. This win sets the tone for the Phocéens ahead of the Ligue 1 opener, scheduled in Rennes in a week's time. Coming off the bench at the hour mark, Aubameyang completely changed the dynamic of the match, netting a decisive brace. His first goal, celebrated with a spectacular somersault, came from a pinpoint pass by Murillo down the left flank (77'). Just three minutes later, following a superb move orchestrated by Mason Greenwood, Aubameyang coolly slotted the ball home in a tight space to seal the win (80', 3-1).
