2023-04-16 11:58:38
Leon Marchand MICHAEL REAVES / AFP
Frenchman Léon Marchand, 2022 world champion in the 200m and 400m medley, achieved the best world performance of the year in the 200m medley on Saturday at the Westmont (Illinois) meeting, counting for the American Pro Series circuit. .
LFor his first long-course competition of the year, Marchand, who studies and trains in the United States, won in 1 min 55 sec 68/100th and offered himself the Pro Series circuit record over this distance. owned since 2012 by the legendary Michael Phelps (1’56”32). The 20-year-old from Toulouse clearly beat two Americans, Shaine Casas (1’56”06) and Chase Kalisz (1’58”78) in the final.
Three months before the Worlds-2023 which will be held from July 23 to 30 in Fukuoka (Japan), Marchand is only 46/100th from the time (1’55”22, French record) that he had achieved in the final of the 2022 World Championship in Budapest. At Westmont, he also won the 400m medley (4’07”80) on Thursday, and the 200m butterfly (1’55”58), a discipline in which he is vice-world champion, and 200m breaststroke (2’10”52) on Friday.
Marchand is coached by Bob Bowman, Phelps’ former coach, at Arizona State University. At the end of March, he had achieved the fastest time in history at the university level, on the 200 yards breaststroke, in 1 min 46 sec 91/100th, and won two other university titles (NCAA).
SEE ALSO – The huge mistake of Kobel, Dortmund goalkeeper, against Bayern Munich on April 1 (4-2)
#Léon #Marchand #impresses #longterm #comeback