Latest news with #Marchand
TimesLIVE
4 hours ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Marchand smashes 200 individual medley world record at world champs
Olympic champion Leon Marchand said his decision to opt for a reduced schedule at the world championships in Singapore had paid off handsomely after the Frenchman smashed the 200m individual medley world record on Wednesday. Marchand won four individual gold medals at the Paris Olympics in 2024 but his efforts at his home Games left him exhausted and needing time to rest. He returned to action in Florida in May and arrived in Singapore with only the 200 and 400 medleys on his programme for individual events. The 23-year-old has slipped back into competition mode with ease and produced a stunning 1:52.69 in his 200 medley semifinal to shave nearly one-and-a-half seconds off Ryan Lochte's mark (1:54.00) set at the world championships in Shanghai in 2011. The Toulouse native shook his fist and punched the water in celebration, and later said the decision to come in with a lighter workload had been vindicated.
Fox Sports
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Léon Marchand tries to break his own 200 IM world record at the swim worlds in Singapore
Associated Press SINGAPORE (AP) — Léon Marchand of France is out to break his own world record in Thursday's 200-meter individual medley at the swimming world championships in Singapore. If you missed it, Marchand only set the record on Wednesday in the semifinals at the worlds — 1 minute, 52.69 seconds. That shattered the old mark of 1:54.00 held by American Ryan Lochte since 2011. Of course, Marchand's victory is almost assured. The only question is by how much. A four-time gold medalist a year ago in the Paris Olympics, Marchand will share the stage on Day 5 with Canada's Summer McIntosh. McIntosh will go for her third medal in Singapore, this time in the 200 freestyle. Elizabeth Dekkers of Australia and American Regan Smith are the main rivals. She has already won gold in the 200 IM and 400 freestyle. McIntosh is bidding for five individual gold medals in Singapore after winning three individual Olympic gold medals in Paris. Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old Chinese swimmer, is the eighth-fastest qualifier in the field as she tries to reach the podium. She was fourth in the 200 IM. Three other finals are on the day's program and the Americans have shots. The United States has won only three gold medals in Singapore with the team battling a stomach bug picked up in training camp in Thailand. Head coach Greg Meehan has suggested team health is improving. In the men's 100 freestyle, American Jack Alexy and Romanian David Popovici were the quickest qualifiers. Popovici has already won the 200 free in Singapore. He was the gold medalist at 200 in Paris, and took bronze in the 100. American Regan Smith has the quickest time in the 50 backstroke followed very closely by Lauren Cox of Britain, American Katharine Berkoff, and Wan Letian of China. The last final of the day is the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. __ AP sports: recommended Item 1 of 3
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Léon Marchand tries to break his own 200 IM world record at the swim worlds in Singapore
SINGAPORE (AP) — Léon Marchand of France is out to break his own world record in Thursday's 200-meter individual medley at the swimming world championships in Singapore. If you missed it, Marchand only set the record on Wednesday in the semifinals at the worlds — 1 minute, 52.69 seconds. That shattered the old mark of 1:54.00 held by American Ryan Lochte since 2011. Of course, Marchand's victory is almost assured. The only question is by how much. A four-time gold medalist a year ago in the Paris Olympics, Marchand will share the stage on Day 5 with Canada's Summer McIntosh. McIntosh will go for her third medal in Singapore, this time in the 200 freestyle. Elizabeth Dekkers of Australia and American Regan Smith are the main rivals. She has already won gold in the 200 IM and 400 freestyle. McIntosh is bidding for five individual gold medals in Singapore after winning three individual Olympic gold medals in Paris. Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old Chinese swimmer, is the eighth-fastest qualifier in the field as she tries to reach the podium. She was fourth in the 200 IM. Three other finals are on the day's program and the Americans have shots. The United States has won only three gold medals in Singapore with the team battling a stomach bug picked up in training camp in Thailand. Head coach Greg Meehan has suggested team health is improving. In the men's 100 freestyle, American Jack Alexy and Romanian David Popovici were the quickest qualifiers. Popovici has already won the 200 free in Singapore. He was the gold medalist at 200 in Paris, and took bronze in the 100. American Regan Smith has the quickest time in the 50 backstroke followed very closely by Lauren Cox of Britain, American Katharine Berkoff, and Wan Letian of China. The last final of the day is the women's 4×200-meter freestyle relay. __ AP sports:
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Léon Marchand tries to break his own 200 IM world record at the swim worlds in Singapore
SINGAPORE (AP) — Léon Marchand of France is out to break his own world record in Thursday's 200-meter individual medley at the swimming world championships in Singapore. If you missed it, Marchand only set the record on Wednesday in the semifinals at the worlds — 1 minute, 52.69 seconds. That shattered the old mark of 1:54.00 held by American Ryan Lochte since 2011. Of course, Marchand's victory is almost assured. The only question is by how much. A four-time gold medalist a year ago in the Paris Olympics, Marchand will share the stage on Day 5 with Canada's Summer McIntosh . McIntosh will go for her third medal in Singapore, this time in the 200 freestyle. Elizabeth Dekkers of Australia and American Regan Smith are the main rivals. She has already won gold in the 200 IM and 400 freestyle. McIntosh is bidding for five individual gold medals in Singapore after winning three individual Olympic gold medals in Paris. Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old Chinese swimmer, is the eighth-fastest qualifier in the field as she tries to reach the podium. She was fourth in the 200 IM. Three other finals are on the day's program and the Americans have shots. The United States has won only three gold medals in Singapore with the team battling a stomach bug picked up in training camp in Thailand. Head coach Greg Meehan has suggested team health is improving. In the men's 100 freestyle, American Jack Alexy and Romanian David Popovici were the quickest qualifiers. Popovici has already won the 200 free in Singapore. He was the gold medalist at 200 in Paris, and took bronze in the 100. American Regan Smith has the quickest time in the 50 backstroke followed very closely by Lauren Cox of Britain, American Katharine Berkoff, and Wan Letian of China. The last final of the day is the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. __ AP sports:
ARN News Center
5 hours ago
- Sport
- ARN News Center
Marchand sparkles on return to global stage with 200m medley world record
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Leon Marchand returned to the global stage with a bang on Wednesday by shattering the 200 metres individual medley world record to light up day four of the world championships in Singapore. The "French Phelps" blasted through the World Aquatics Championships Arena in one minute, 52.69 seconds in his semi-final, shaving more than 1.3 seconds off Ryan Lochte's long-standing 1:54.00 from the 2011 event in Shanghai. "I actually can't really believe it right now," said Marchand, who also owns the 400 IM world record of 4:02.50. "I knew I was going to get close to my PB (personal best) because I felt really good today, and the preparation has been pretty good, so I was really excited to race. "It's unbelievable for me. What's crazy is that it's a whole second (ahead of Lochte). "A 1:52 on the 200 — that's insane. I'm so happy, it's just incredible." Exhausted after the Paris Games where he won four individual golds, Marchand skipped the short course world championships in Hungary last December and suffered injuries before returning to the pool for the TYR Pro Series in Florida in May. He is swimming a reduced programme in Singapore, focusing on the 200 and 400 IM alone for individual events, as he works through what he calls a "transition year". If this is his transition year his rivals might wonder what he has in store for them in a normal season. Marchand's world record capped a bumper night of five gold medals, with Mollie O'Callaghan reclaiming her 200 freestyle crown to boost Australia's gold haul. Tunisia celebrated a new force in distance swimming as Ahmed Jaouadi won the men's 800 freestyle in the fastest time since the supersuit era. There were shocks amid the triumphs, though, with China's world record holder Pan Zhanle coming up short in the men's 100 freestyle semi-finals, while Olympic champions the United States missed the final of the mixed medley. Few would have bet against O'Callaghan taking back the 200 title she won in Fukuoka two years ago. The Australian delivered a dominant swim of 1:53.48 to touch the wall more than a second clear of China's silver medallist Li Bingjie. "Coming here would have been one of the last things I thought I would do at the start of the year," said the 21-year-old Queenslander, who had a long rehab from a dislocated knee earlier this year. "It's all worth it in the long run for me ... Moments like this make it so much better." 'DIRTY GOLD!' Two years after Ahmed Hafnaoui won the 800 freestyle in the fastest time (7:37.00) in the post-supersuit era, compatriot Jaouadi raised the bar again to claim the title ahead of runner-up Sven Schwarz and another German in Lukas Maertens. The 20-year-old held off a strong field to win in 7:36.88, the third fastest of all time behind only Chinese world record holder Zhang Lin and fellow Tunisian Oussama Mellouli. With Marchand skipping the 200 butterfly, former world junior champion Luca Urlando became the first American to win the event since Michael Phelps in 2011. The Californian swam 1:51.87 to beat Poland's Krzysztof Chmielewski by 0.77 seconds, while bronze-winner Harrison Turner was thrilled to claim a first world medal in the event for Australia and also a national record. "Dirty gold! Let's go!" Turner yelled at an Australian TV camera. Italian Simone Cerasuolo was similarly buoyant after he upset Chinese powerhouse Qin Haiyang to win the 50 breaststroke title in 26.54. Qin took bronze behind Russian Kirill Prigoda, who was competing as a neutral athlete. Russian athletes are allowed to take part in World Aquatics events under a neutral banner on the condition that they have not publicly supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine and have no affiliation to the Russian military. Summer McIntosh is on track for a third gold of the meet after she set the second-fastest time in qualifying for the final of the 200 butterfly. The 18-year-old Canadian has already won the 200 IM and 400 freestyle golds as she looks to match American great Phelps's record of five individual titles at a single world championships. While the US flopped in the 4x100 mixed medley, Russian athletes competing as neutrals claimed a surprise gold ahead of China and Canada. McIntosh will be favourite to win the 200 butterfly in one of five golds on offer on Thursday's day five, while David Popovici will look for a second gold in the men's 100 freestyle when he goes up against Kyle Chalmers and American Jack Alexy.
