Léon Marchand crowned world champion in the 200m medley the day after his world record

After breaking the 200m medley world record by one and three tenths of a second (1 min 52.69) in the semi-finals, it would have been a real shame not to have won the world title in the event. But Léon Marchand is not one to miss out on major events. Twenty-four hours after electrifying the Olympic pool at the Sports Hub in Singapore, the Frenchman won the final on Thursday, July 31, with a more modest time than the day before (1 min 53.68).

"I didn't know I was that fast, but I gave it my all," he said a few minutes after his record on Wednesday. It was barely noticeable despite the effort he made and the insomnia last night, spent replaying the race in his head. "I slept very badly, I was really excited, I still had a lot of adrenaline," smiled Léon Marchand after winning the title ahead of his great training buddies in Austin (Texas), the American Shaine Casas (2nd, 1 min 54 s 30) and the Hungarian Hubert Kos (3rd, 1 min 55 s 35). In the city-state, Léon Marchand won, at just 23 years old, his sixth world title in the long course, his third in the 200m medley after those in Budapest (Hungary) in 2022 and Fukuoka (Japan) in 2023.

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