Marchand shatters world record in 200m medley

Leon Marchand smashed the 200m individual medley world record in Singapore on Wednesday with another breathtaking swim while Australia and the United States celebrated more gold.

- Agence France-Presse

Racing in the semifinals at the world championships, the 23-year-old Frenchman wiped more than a second off the previous record of 1:54.00 set by Ryan Lochte in 2011.

Marchand beat Michael Phelps’s longstanding 400m medley record at the world championships in Japan two years ago. “Actually I can’t believe it right now,” said Marchand, who won four individual golds in front of his home fans at the Paris Olympics a year ago and was the face of the Games. “I knew I was going to be close to my PB (personal best) because I felt really good today and preparation has been pretty good. But 1:52 is unbelievable for me.”