ASU's Leon Marchand helps Sun Devils set spectacular 100m split in 400m medley relay
Arizona State University swimmer Leon Marchand holds both the fastest 200m and 400m individual medley records. However, his hunger to set more records does not seem satisfied.
In the recent 2023 NCAA Championships, Marchand helped ASU's Sun Devils finish third with the fastest 50m split in the 4x400 medley race.
Leon Marchand clocked 49.23 to get the Sun Devils to finish on the line with a time of 2:59.18. Interestingly, all the top three teams competing broke the previous NCAA record of 2:59.22.
Just a day earlier, Marchand broke his own 200m individual medley record with a blistering 22.27 in the last 50m split -- the fastest-ever split in the event. Even in the 4x400 team medley race, he clocked a splitting 22.83 and 26.40 in the last 100m.
The five fastest 100m breast splits are:
- Leon Marchand, 2023 - 49.23
- Kevin Cordes, 2013 - 49.56
- Ian Finnerty, 2019 - 49.60
- Will Licon, 2017 - 49.75
- Max McHugh, 2019 - 49.97
Leon Marchand's life and career as a top-tier swimmer
Frenchman Leon Marchand was born on May 17, 2002, to Olympic swimmers Celine Bonnet and Xavier Marchand. He holds the long-course record for the 400m individual medley in Europe and the French record for the 200m individual medley, 200m butterfly, and 200m breaststroke.
Marchand has drawn attention with his great achievements over the last two years. It wouldn't be wrong to say that swimming is in his family because both of his parents were competitive swimmers. Leon is keen to capture the only Olympic gold for his family.
In the 400m individual medley at the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Marchand placed third with a French record time of 4:16.37.
Marchand finished sixth in the 400m individual medley at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, with a timing of 4:11.16. In addition, he finished 14th (1:55.68 in the 200m butterfly) and 18th overall. He finished 10th in the 4x100m medley relay (1:58.30 in the 200m individual medley).
In the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley events at the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships, he won two golds. Marchand won his first individual NCAA title for the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 200-yard individual medley at the 2022 NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
Before Marchand's 1:37.69 run, records were also set by Caeleb Dressel (NCAA and US Open records from 2018) and Andrew Seliskar (US Open records from 2017). However, both were roughly four tenths of a second slower than Marchand's NCAA Championships record.
He took home three medals at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships: 400-meter individual medley gold, 200-meter IM silver, and 200-meter butterfly bronze.
Leon Marchand might possibly go on to compete for a medal for France at the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024.