Who is Leon Marchand? French swimmer who shatters most decorated Olympics athlete Michael Phelps' individual world record
Michael Phelps achieved the extraordinary feat by securing 28 medals across five Olympics, solidifying his position as the most decorated athlete in the history of the Summer Games. Michael Phelps boasts an astounding 23 gold medals — the highest number of Olympic golds ever won, in addition to three silver and two bronze medals.
However, adding to the swimming world's excitement, 21-year-old Leon Marchand, who trains at Arizona State under the guidance of Bob Bowman, the coach who played a pivotal role in Michael Phelps' career, achieved a remarkable feat in Fukuoka, Japan. Leon Marchand set a new world record in the 400m Individual Medley (IM) with a stunning time of 4 minutes and 2.50 seconds, surpassing Phelps' previous record of 4:03.84, which had been standing since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Notably, this accomplishment granted Phelps the longest world record reign in any Olympic event since World War II, according to Swimming Stats. It is worth mentioning that during the last year's world championships, Marchand had come incredibly close to Phelps' record, falling short by a mere 44 hundredths of a second.
Looking ahead, Marchand is slated to compete in the 200m butterfly (where he earned a silver medal last year), the 200m breaststroke (currently holding the title of the fourth-fastest man in history), and the 200m IM (the reigning world champion). Due to scheduling conflicts, he may choose to withdraw from the 200m breaststroke event, as its semifinals coincide with the 200m IM final on Thursday.
Michael Phelps himself had already foreseen that Marchand's exceptional performances from the last year would soon lead to the rewriting of the individual world record books. Michael Phelps was a dominant force in
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