Marchand breaks Phelps’ final world record

Phelps’ time of 4:03.84 had been the longest-held world record in swimming since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Leon Marchand of France broke Michael Phelps’ last surviving world record on Sunday, winning the men’s 400m individual medley at the World Swimming Championships in Japan.

Marchand recorded 4:02.50 seconds to break Phelps’ record by more than a second.

Phelps’ time of 4:03.84 had been the longest-held world record in swimming since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Marchand will be one of the faces of next year’s Olympics in Paris, and he has warned that “the best is yet to come.”

“It was insane,” says the 21-year-old.

“That was one of the most agonising things I ever did.” It was incredible to perform it here. “The time is insane.”

Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, was on hand to present Marchand with his gold medal.

Marchand stated that the American great was “impressed by the time” and told him that he could improve further.

“He was commentating the race, so it was pretty cool to see that,” Marchand, who trains with Phelps’ former guru Bob Bowman, said.

“He told me so many things I could do better the next time.”

Marchand finished ahead of Carson Foster of the United States, who finished in 4:06.56, and Daiya Seto of Japan, who finished in 4:09.41.

It was “pretty cool” for Foster to see Marchand smash Phelps’ record.

“Obviously, the goal is always to win, and Leon is a great competitor,” Foster explained.

“Being the closest person to history was pretty cool, getting a front-row seat to that.”

Marchand swam the second-fastest 400 IM ever in 4:04.28 in last year’s world championships in Budapest.

He claimed he had been working on his deficiencies since last year and was delighted with how the race went.

“I set the right pace at the start so I could go fast, and I finished very fast,” he explained.

On Saturday, Marchand stated that breaking the record would be “just another step in my journey.”

He is expected to be one of France’s top medal prospects at the Olympics in Paris next year, and he insists that he can handle the pressure.

“I think I can handle the pressure pretty well right now,” he admitted.

“It’s not perfect; it could be better.” I just have one year before next year to develop, so I’m just focusing on this week.”

Marchand will defend his world title in the 200m individual medley in Fukuoka this week.

He will also swim in the 200m butterfly, although his participation in the 200m breaststroke is uncertain.

AFP