Watch: Leon Marchand’s 400 IM NCAA record-breaking race
Leon Marchand of Arizona State set a new NCAA record of 400 IM for men, clocking in at 3:31.84. Hugo Gonzalez of Cal set the previous record in last year's NCAA finals with a time of 3:32.88, but that swim destroyed it.
In a video shared by Sun Devil Swim on their Twitter handle, Marchand can be seen in lane 4 dressed in blue. He establishes a quick lead and touches first at the halfway point without a doubt.
OMG OMG OMG
@leon_marchand sets a new NCAA record in the 400 IM (3:31.84) ‼️
THIS PLACE IS ROCKING 🔥 https://t.co/wGXUiAe6QV
Hugo Gonzalez may be seen in this race as well, in lane three just behind Leon Marchand. Gonzalez finished sixth with a time of 3:57.92 despite not having a suit on.
In the back and freestyle, Marchand was quicker than Gonzalez. Marchand's difference here compared to the NCAA Championships the previous year was most notable for his middle 200-meter. He was nearly a second quicker today in the 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter breast, particularly breaking the 1:00 split on the breaststroke leg.
By a wide margin, Marchand's time is the best in the NCAA thus far this season. Gonzalez, the reigning NCAA champion and former NCAA record holder, was noticeably absent from Cal this fall, skipping the entire season when he swam 3:57.92 to place sixth. Gonzalez returned in an earlier dual meet between California and Arizona with a time of 3:57.92.
This was Marchand's third individual competition at the dual meet between ASU and Cal. Before setting this record in the 400-meter IM, he had previously set NCAA-leading marks today in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststrokes. Approximately 35 minutes passed between Marchand's 200-meter breast and 400-meter IM, according to estimates.
After his 1:37.69 time in the 200 IM at the NCAA Championships the previous year, Leon Marchand now holds both NCAA records in the IM events.
Who Is Leon Marchand
French swimmer Leon Marchand was born on May 17, 2002. He holds a long-course record for the 400-meter individual medley in Europe and the 200-meter individual medley, 200-meter butterfly, and 200-meter breaststroke in France.
With a French record time of 4:16.37, Marchand earned the bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August 2019.
Leon Marchand finished sixth in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:11.16 at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He also finished tenth in the 4100-meter medley relay, fourteenth in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:55.68, and eighteenth in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 1:58.30.
He won the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley NCAA gold in the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships. Marchand won his first individual NCAA championship for the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 200-yard individual medley at the 2022 NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, in March.
His time of 1:37.69 broke previous records set by Caeleb Dressel in 2018 (NCAA and US Open records) and Andrew Seliskar in 2017 (NCAA and US Open records), which were both over four-tenths of a second slower than Marchand's time (NCAA Championships record).
He took home gold in the 400-meter individual medley, silver in the 200-meter individual medley, and bronze in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.