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WATCH: Leon Marchand shatters American legend's 12 year old WR at the 2024 Swimming World Cup
French swimming sensation Leon Marchand added one more feather to his crown by shattering Ryan Lochte's 200m individual medley short course world record at the ongoing World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2024 in Singapore. The victory also marked his eighth World Cup title.
Following an impressive Shanghai World Cup leg in late October where he claimed three gold medals in the 100m medley, 200m medley, and 400m medley, the 22-year-old Frenchman created more history on Friday, November 1 by winning the 200 individual medley short course race. He touched the wall in 1:48.88 seconds to beat former American Olympian Ryan Lochte's 2012 World Short Course Championships record of 1:49.63 by 0.75 seconds.
Reflecting on the incredible feat, Leon Marchand shared his excitement about the result and added that he aimed to achieve something unprecedented:
"That was really exciting for me, because I was trying to do something that has never (been) done before. The crowd was going crazy, so it was really pushing me. ... That reminded me of Paris Olympics," he said (via Olympics.com)
World Aquatics posted the update on his race on their X (formerly Twitter) handle, writing:
"WOOOORLD RECORD. Leon Marchand breaks Ryan Lochte WR from 2012 with an incredible swim in the 200m IM (25m)."
In addition to his World Cup glory, the Bob Bowman tutee is having a career-defining 2024 season where he won five medals (four golds and a bronze) at the Paris Olympics. His gold medals came in each individual event he competed in—400 individual medley, 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 200 individual medley—while the bronze came in the men’s 4x100 meter medley relay.
"Taking it well because it's really kind and positive" - Leon Marchand on garnering fame after extraordinary Paris Olympics campaign
During an October 2024 interview with Olympics.com, Leon Marchand shared insights on the surge of fame after the Paris Olympics. He said adjusting to the inevitable attention was initially difficult, but he learned to eventually manage it.
"I'm probably going to lose a bit of freedom and spontaneity. The first few weeks after the Games were a bit complicated because it was quite radical, but it's OK, I'm handling it well. I'm taking it well because it's really kind, it's all positive. People thank me in the street and I take it to heart. At the pool, there aren't too many people waiting for me," Marchand said (via Olympics.com).
However, Marchand also mentioned that not being able to go to restaurants and shop freely was a downside of fame.
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