Francois-Xavier Marit / AFP
Léon Marchand, here during his semi-final of the 200 m four swimming at the world championships in Singapore, on July 30, 2025.
Swimming – New feat for Léon Marchand. The Toulouse swimmer pulverized the world record for the 200 meter swimming, this Wednesday, July 30, from the semi-finals of the world swimming championships in Singapore, with a time of 1 min 52 sec 69/100th.
The 23 -year -old Frenchwoman erased the brand of the American Ryan Lochte which dates from 2011 (1 min 54 sec 00). He will play the final of the event Thursday to try to win a sixth world title.
Awesome master’s degree, Léon Marchand marked his territory in the semi-finals. Never worried about his competitors, he was already posted almost a second at 100 meters on the Lochte record.
Before arriving in Singapore, the Frenchman already held the second best world performance in history, 1 min 54 sec 06, established in the final of the Paris Olympic Games last summer.
“It seems a bit unreal to me”
Upon his arrival in the city-state for these Worlds, he warned that he had the world record in the viewfinder. Then, in series this Wednesday morning, he then announced that he wanted to get closer to his personal record from the semi-finals. He kept his word by lowering his best career time by 1 second and 37 hundredths.
“I’m too happy. (…) This is not even a record, 52 it seems a bit unreal to me, so I’m not sure how to explain it ”reacted the swimmer at the microphone of France Télévisions, shortly after his race.
Léon Marchand had dominated the morning series with a time of 1 min 57 sec 63, having concentrated his efforts on the first half of the race, before slowing down his pace.
The Frenchman now holds two world records in the 50 m basin, after that of the 400 m four swimming, which he had broken in the final of the Fukuoka Worlds in 2023.