In international competitive swimming, the world record has not crossed the news threshold very often in recent years. In the sport, ME times have become a thing of the past. This was the case, for example, during the so-called rubber suit era in 2008–2009.
But when you yourself From Michael Phelps to take away this last valid world record time, the achievement takes on completely different proportions.
French youth Leon Marchand outright smashed the swimming legend’s long-standing 400m medley ME time of 4:03.84 by more than a second (4:02.50) on the opening day of the Fukuoka Long Course World Championships on Sunday.
Phelps’ time has been considered extremely hard, as it remained the world record since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won a record eight gold medals in those games.
The value of Marchand’s ME is also underlined by the fact that the men’s 400-meter medley ME was continuously held by Phelps for more than 20 years.
According to the swimming website Swim Swam, this summer Phelps became the athlete who has held the world record for a single long-course swim for the longest time since World War II.
Phelps first swam the distance’s ME time (4.11.09) in August 2002. He took the very demanding distance’s ME reading to completely new dimensions.
During Phelps’ time, his fierce competition partner was Ryan Lochte, who, however, was often overshadowed by his compatriots. He swam in London in 2012 with a top time of 4:05.18, which was the second best time of all time for a long time.
– Even though Ryan Lochte was an absolutely brilliant swimmer, he didn’t even come within a second of Phelps’ world record. That bet was once quite a bet, Urheilu’s swimming expert Ville Kallinen unlocks the value of Marchand’s ME trick.
Phelps-like versatility
Marchand became a real threat to Phelps’ ME time a year ago, when he shot just 40 hundredths away from the US star’s quote in the World Cup pool in Budapest.
On Sunday, Marchand broke the ME time with a wild breaststroke leg, which is swum in the 400m medley after the butterfly and backstroke legs. In the last 100 meters of freestyle swimming, the 21-year-old Frenchman started almost three seconds ahead of the ME time.
According to Kallinen, Marchand is an exceptional mixed swimmer because he also does very well in individual swimming events.
Last year, Marchand achieved World Cup silver in the 200-meter butterfly swimming with a world record and dominating the sport Kristof Milak too after. In Milak’s absence, Marchand is considered the 200-meter butterfly champion candidate of these World Championships.
Olympic bronze medalist Matti Mattsson’s in the main event in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke, Marchand has captured the top time in the world statistics this year, 2:06.59.
– His versatility is astounding. It can often be the case that a mixed swimmer is good in many sports, but is not an unintelligent top swimmer in them.
– What is confusing about Marchand is what was also characteristic of Phelps and Lochte. They were also able to win individual events. For example, Phelps was a great freestyle and butterfly swimmer, and Lochte was a great backstroker, says Kallinen.
An interesting curiosity is that, unlike Phelps, Lochte still has ME in his name. Locht holds the 12-year-old 200m individual medley ME of 1.54.00, but it’s only a matter of time before Marchand breaks that too.
Kallinen believes that in the future, Marchand will also be able to give Milaki, who is in top shape, a hard time. In the men’s 200m breaststroke, ME is Australia by Zac Stubblety-Cook last year swam 2:05.95.
“I want to create my own path”
In addition to the wild 400m medley ME, Phelps and Marchand also have another point of contact. Marchand, who is a university athlete in the United States, is coached by a top player who also piloted Phelps Bob Bowman.
Bowman has also helped the US Chase Kalisz to become a world-class medley swimmer.
Bowman has told Marchand that he resembles Phelps.
– In terms of his characteristics, he is a technically very skilled athlete. He really effectively uses his hips to his advantage. According to Bowman, he is a very coachable athlete. Bowman has stated that Marchand has many of the same traits in training that Phelps had, says Kallinen.
Marchand and Phelps have also been texting each other. On Sunday, Phelps witnessed the breaking of his last world record on the spot as a commentator.
Phelps was already aware that his 400m individual medley world record is in real danger.
– Hopefully, maybe fingers crossed, I’m going to be greedy and hold on to the world record for one more year, Phelps said according to NBC in Paris last fall.
Marchand himself does not want to be compared to the greatest swimmer of all time.
– I want to create my own path. I don’t want to follow Phelps, he has told the France 24 channel.
The megastar of the Paris Olympics
Kallinen says Marchand can’t become a megastar like Phelps. That’s what a 16-year-old Canadian is called Summer McIntoshwho has the potential to reach five individual gold medals in one Olympics.
No woman has succeeded in Tempu before. Phelps succeeded in that at the 2008 Olympics.
– I can’t believe that Marchand will become a man with as many medals as Phelps became or on the women’s side About Summer McIntosh will come Kallinen sees that he will be the person who will break both records in the medley for the ages.
However, in terms of the marketing experiment for next year’s Paris Olympics, Marchand’s extraordinary act comes at a great time.
Swimming has traditionally been one of the most followed sports at the Summer Olympics. Phelps used to be Usain Bolt’s along with one of the most interesting athletes of the Games.
– Expectations for him are rising. After all, the people want the swimmer from their home village to be the number one star, Kallinen knows.