WATCH: Michael Phelps gives Leon Marchand a standing ovation after Frenchman breaks 400m IM WR
Michael Phelps gave Leon Marchand a standing ovation after the youngster broke his world record in the 400m IM on Sunday, July 23.
Marchand won the men's 400m IM at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships with a time of 4:02.50, breaking Phelps' record time of 4:03.84 set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Phelps was present in the NBC announcing booth, alongside Rowdy Gaines, when the French swimmer broke his record. In a video shared on social media by journalist Sacha Nokovitch, Phelps can be seen having an animated discussion during the 400m IM.
And when Marchand finally broke his world record, the American swimming legend got to his feet to applaud the Frenchman. The video can be seen below:
🏼Michael Phelps cède son record du monde du 400 m 4 nages à Léon Marchand avec la classe qui caractérise les grands champions 👏🏼
pic.twitter.com/r6wuh0RGB4
Phelps, incidentally, broke the 400m IM event world record many times, with the first being in 2002. After that, he better the record multiple times, last doing so at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
2023 World Aquatics Championships: What next for Leon Marchand?
After successfully winning the 400m individual medley title at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, Leon Marchand will be competing in three more events in Japan.
Marchand will compete in the 200m IM, whose heats will be held on July 26. He has been named in heat six of the 200m IM. He will compete against the likes of Great Britain's Tom Dean, USA's Carson Foster, Australia's Brendon Smith, and Italy's Alberto Razzetti, among others.
The Frenchman will compete in the 200m butterfly as well. He has been named in heat four, which will be held on Tuesday, July 25, where he will face off against Carson Foster. If Marchand progresses to the next round, he might face another American swimmer Thomas Heilman, who recently broke the national age group record held by Michael Phelps in the 200m IM.
The 21-year-old will also compete in the 200m breaststroke event. The heats of the 200m breaststroke event are scheduled on July 27. He has been named in heat four, whose start list consists of swimmers like Carles Coll Marti and Josh Matheny.
Having won two gold and one silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, Marchand could better his record at the event this year.