Leon Marchand breaks 200 IM world record at World Championships

Field Level Media|published: Wed 30th July, 15:12 2025

Aug 3, 2024; Nanterre, France; Leon Marchand (USA) in the mixed 4 x 100-meter medley relay final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Paris La Défense Arena. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars-Imagn Images

French swimmer Leon Marchand smashed the world record in the 200-meter individual medley, a mark that had stood for 14 years, at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore on Wednesday.

In the semifinal heat of the 200 IM, he touched the wall in 1 minute, 52.69 seconds, besting Ryan Lochte's time of 1:54.00, set in 2011, by over a full second.

"Today I felt really good before the race," he said. "In the water, I felt light, I was taking in a lot of water and technically everything felt clean."

The event final is scheduled for Thursday.

Marchand, 23, will attempt to break his own world record in the 400 individual medley on Sunday, the final day of competition. He set that mark of 4:02.50 at the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka, Japan.

He is only competing in those two races and the relays, eliminating the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke from his program. Marchand won gold in all four of those events at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

--Field Level Media