Léon Marchand is a phenomenon. This is underlined by his fabulous world record in the 200 m medley. But what makes the Frenchman so unique?
31.07.2025, 20:00
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- Léon Marchand breaks a 14-year-old world record in the 200m medley at the World Swimming Championships and takes the title.
- What makes the Frenchman, who stopped swimming for two years at the age of seven because the water was too cold for him, so extraordinary?
- Probably also because Marchand was a late developer physically, he is better than anyone else in the underwater phase.
Léon Marchand can't believe it when he sees the time after the semi-final of the 200 m medley: 1:52.69 minutes. He beat Ryan Lochte's 14-year-old world record by an incredible 1.31 seconds. Australian TV pundit Mat Thompson said afterwards: "That's a world record like we've never seen before."
In the final on Thursday, Marchand then remained under the old record again with a time of 1:53.68 minutes, although he was pushed hard by the American Shaine Casas (1:54.30). The 23-year-old Frenchman had a lot to live up to after being the big winner of the Olympic Games last year in Paris in his home country with four gold and one bronze medal. On the same evening, he triumphed in the 200 m dolphin and 200 m breaststroke, two disciplines in which the leg movements are completely different. There are no words for that.
"My life in France has changed a lot," said Marchand at a press conference in Singapore. "I have to plan everything. I can't just go out and buy bread or anything. But I've gotten used to it. I can handle it better now." He has also learned to say no.
Recharged his batteries in Australia
Marchand competed in the three World Cup events in Shanghai, Incheon and Singapore after the Olympic Games - in Singapore he broke the world record in the 200 m medley in the 25 m pool. However, he was then too exhausted for the short course world championships in Budapest in December. There was a phase "when I didn't really want to get up in the morning to go to training. I was a bit more tired than usual."
In January, he traveled to Australia for three months. There he also took time for other things. He traveled the country and surfed a lot. "It was a great time," says Marchand. He trained with Dean Boxall's group. "It was the right time to do it. I learned a lot about myself." He also received good input on how to improve in the crawl discipline. The fire for swimming quickly returned. After his time in Australia, he went back to the USA to work with his coach Bob Bowman, the long-time coach of Michael Phelps, the most successful swimmer of all time, to whom he is often compared.
Water was once too cold for him
But what makes Marchand so extraordinary? Although his parents were also good swimmers and took part in the Olympic Games, he stopped swimming for two years at the age of seven because the water was too cold for him. As a child, he also tried judo and rugby. But in the end it was swimming that fascinated him the most, which turned out to be a stroke of luck.
However, Marchand was anything but exceptional at first. At the 2019 Junior World Championships, he "only" won bronze in the 400 m medley, and at the Junior European Championships in the same year, he did not manage more than two bronze medals (200 m breaststroke and 400 m medley). He won his first of six world championship titles in Budapest in 2022.
The 1.87 m tall Marchand was a late developer physically. This is probably why he is better than anyone else in the underwater phase. In his Olympic victory in the 400 m medley, he spent 100 m underwater, around a fifth more than his opponents. He also has an extremely efficient body position in the water, which means that he generates very little resistance and therefore saves a lot of energy. His work ethic is also exceptional.
2025 a transition year
Marchand will only be swimming the 400m medley on Sunday in Singapore, in which he smashed Michael Phelps' 15-year-old world record by 1.34 seconds at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka. "It's a transition year for me. That's why I wanted a less demanding schedule than usual," said Marchand, explaining his program. For someone who is capable of such performances in a transition year, the question inevitably arises as to where the limits lie. Marchand is likely to make plenty of headlines.
