After smashing the long-standing world record in the 200m individual medley by 1.31 seconds (1 min 52.69 s) in the semifinals, it would have been a real disappointment for Léon Marchand not to claim the world title in this event. But Marchand has never been one to miss the big occasions. Twenty-four hours after electrifying the entire Olympic pool at Singapore’s Sports Hub, the French swimmer won the final on Thursday, July 31, with a more modest time than the day before (1 min 53.68 s).
“I didn’t realize I was going that fast, but I gave it absolutely everything,” he said a few minutes after setting the record on Wednesday. It was barely noticeable in the final of the event in which he is the Olympic champion, but it was enough to secure victory ahead of Shaine Casas (2nd, 1 min 54.30 s) and Hubert Kos (3rd, 1 min 55.35 s). In the city-state, Marchand, just 23 years old, won his sixth world title in a long-course pool, his third in the 200m medley after those in Budapest, Hungary, in 2022 and Fukuoka, Japan, in 2023.
Marchand celebrated his victory, which seemed so predictable, less than his world record. However, both confirm the observation made by the four-time Olympic champion: “I feel like all the choices I made this year were the right ones.” From not competing at the short-course world championships in Budapest in December, to his decision to spend the first three months of 2025 in Australia, training under Dean Boxall, a specialist in freestyle.
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