By Stephen Wade
Léon Marchand broke the world record in the 200-meter individual medley on Wednesday at the world championships in Singapore, clocking 1 minute, 52.69 seconds to surpass the 1:54.00 set in 2011 by American Ryan Lochte.
The Frenchman set the mark swimming in the semifinals and, in theory, could break it again in Thursday’s finals.
Marchand won four Olympic gold medals a year ago in Paris, but he’s swimming only the 200 and 400 medley – and relays – in Singapore. Planning the lighter schedule in what he calls a “transition year” keeps him fresh to chase the world marks.
Marchand didn’t just break the 14-year-old record, he shattered it.
“What’s crazy is that it’s a whole second — and it’s still hard to believe,” he said. “1:52 on the 200 meters — that’s insane.”
Marchand will swim the 400 IM on Sunday, the final day of the world
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