SINGAPORE: 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 cant 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.”
Marchand got his world championships campaign under way on Wednesday morning, clocking a time of 1:57.63 in the heats.
He said he would go all-out for the record in the semi-finals rather than conserve his energy for Thursday’s final.
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.
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. Claire Weinstein of the United States finished third (1:54.67).
“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.”
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.
‘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 200m butterfly.
The 18-year-old Canadian has already won the 200 IM and 400m 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 4×100 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.
Also in the final is China’s 12-year-old schoolgirl Yu Zidi, as she attempts to bag a historic medal on her debut competition on the world stage.
Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2025
