Leon Marchand Breaks Michael Phelps’ Olympic Record With 1:54.06 200 IM

2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – FINAL

  • World Record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte, USA (2011)
  • World Junior Record: 1:56.99 – Hubert Kos, HUN (2021)
  • Olympic Record: 1:54.23 – Michael Phelps, USA (2008)
  • 2021 Winning Time: 1:55.00 – Wang Shun, CHN
  • 2021 Time to Win Bronze: 1:56.17
  1. Leon Marchand (France) – 1:54.06 (Olympic Record)
  2. Duncan Scott (Great Britain) – 1:55.31
  3. Wang Shun (China) – 1:56.00
  4. Carson Foster (United States) – 1:56.10
  5. Tom Dean (United States) – 1:56.46
  6. Alberto Razzetti (Italy) – 1:56.82
  7. Daiya Seto (Japan) – 1:57.21
  8. Finlay Knox (Canada) – 1:57.26

Leon Marchand of France swam to his 4th individual Olympic gold medal in Paris, swimming a 1:54.06 in the 200 IM. That swim broke the Olympic Record of a 1:54.23 that Michael Phelps set back in 2008. The swim also was the 2nd fastest performance all-time.

Split Comparison

Marchand 2024 Phelps 2008 Marchand 2023 (Old French/European Records) Lochte 2011
50 24.74 24.59 24.94 24.89
100 28.83 28.81 28.66 28.59
150 32.36 33.5 32.94 33.03
200 28.15 27.33 28.28 27.49
1:54.06 1:54.23 1:54.82 1:54.00

The biggest difference tonight for Marchand was his breaststroke leg. He was over half a second faster today than his own previous French and European Record and also over a second faster on the breaststroke leg than Phelps was in 2008.

All-Time Top Performances 200 IM

  1. Ryan Lochte (USA), 1:54.00 (2011)
  2. Leon Marchand (France), 1:54.06 (2024)
  3. Ryan Lochte (USA), 1:54.10 (2009)
  4. Michael Phelps (USA), 1:54.16 (2011)
  5. Michael Phelps (USA), 1:54.23 (2008)

Marchand’s previous best time of a 1:54.82 was the 12th fastest performance of all-time but his time tonight propels him up the rankings to sit as the 2nd fastest performance all-time. He just missed Ryan Lochte‘s record of 1:54.00.

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Spnsovaddict
4 months ago

I don’t understand why everyone wants Léon to be equal to Michael Phelps. He, himself doesn’t want to, he just wants to enjoy swimming, to have fun. As he said in an interview, if he wins a race, that’s a bonus, if he looses, it doesn’t change anything in his life, his parents still love him. And as Coach Bowman said, Léon is not a second Michael Phelps, he is the first Léon, he is the first one to win 200m fly and 200m breaststroke on the same day at the Olympic Games, right?! Let’s give him time, with more training in freestyle, I’m sure Léon will win races in this stroke.
And all this controversy about him not shaking hands… Read more »

THEO
4 months ago

That lochte WR is so nuts. To see someone who is a 4:02 4IM and also 1:51.2 2fly a 2:05.8 2BR still not be able to break it… wow. I don’t think I would have understood it to be so much harder than the other WRs in those events in 2011 (4:03.8, 1:51.5, 2:07 low)

Jake
4 months ago

Congrats on the wins but it doesn’t give him the right to be an ass.

As one commenter shown, there’s footage of Leon Marchand snubbing a Chinese coach’s handshake after the medal ceremony.

If this is the kind of behaviour and reception that Pan Zanhle was describing, then that is a shameful display of poor sportsmanship and discrimination.

OLF
Reply to  Jake
4 months ago

The Chinese coaching staff has already clarified that Marchand went to his coaches first then came back to them. Stop spreading hate, it’s ruining the sport. I am a fan of both Pan and Marchand, the world should celebrate their successes, should not be ruined by these. Geesh

Jake
Reply to  OLF
4 months ago

Lol one comment says that the French wasn’t disrespectful and “came back” to them. (Without visual footage of that)

Another comment is contradicting that and supporting hateful behaviour because WADA didn’t disclose contamination. Despite Wada explained the amounts detected wasn’t possible to enhance performance.

Jake
Reply to  OLF
4 months ago

Also look at the two other replies to me

Even if not Marchand. It can’t be denied that any Chinese, despite not having any real evidence to prove they doped. They are seen by so many in western settings as guilty regardless of utter lack of evidence.

And to ignore that is just ignoring the real world hate and hostile discrimination that they obviously certainly face today.

Last edited 4 months ago by Jake
ChefJake
Reply to  Jake
4 months ago

Nothing wrong with snubbing athletes and coaches from a country known for state sponsored doping that mysteriously had 23 athletes fail tests in the lead up to 2021 that were not disclosed publicly may not have been handled according to the WADA code.

Anyone who believes in Clean Sport should snub the Chinese.

Jake
Reply to  ChefJake
4 months ago

You makes it seem like they were doping and receiving high performance enhancing effects. Wada already clarified that the amount detected, was not capable of giving Wang any performance enhancing effects.

Unless he was proven to have doped, it’s misinformation to make loaded statements like that. And you are proving my point that people prefer to believe what they want and justify discrimination despite it’s based on no actual real evidence.

Jake
Reply to  ChefJake
4 months ago

That’s misinformation.

WADA was the One that cleared them.

According to Wada themselves, they didn’t believe it’s intentional ingestion but instead as contamination.

Can’t believe your comment is allowed when you say that people should snub Chinese people, despite Wada was the One that reviewed the case and cleared it under their code.

Sapiens Ursus
Reply to  Jake
4 months ago

If it was Wang’s Coach, they were pretty much directly implicated in what appears to be a state sponsored doping program.

The Pan “news” turned out to be nothing if you haven’t been keeping up

Jake
Reply to  Sapiens Ursus
4 months ago

What appears to be?

WADA already explained it’s contamination.

When the amounts detected are too tiny and not capable of performance enhancing effects. It’s likely contamination.

They weren’t implicated. They were cleared by Wada that has no bias.

Fast and Furious
4 months ago

Marchand chasing this record is like Bowman’s opening a saved game and saying “let’s get this right” phase after college

BDD
4 months ago

https://x.com/orikron/status/1819488044480659779?s=46&t=-2Arqc8PPXxtuwH4pKiFLA

Dare I leave a comment showing poor sportsmanship from the French Golden Boy?

Refusing to shake hands with Wang Shun’s coach. Don’t tell me he didn’t see it.

bobthebuilderrocks
Reply to  BDD
4 months ago

Damn, can’t beat him in the pool and now trying to start drama that isn’t there

Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  bobthebuilderrocks
4 months ago

doesn’t matter about the result, they just start drama. we saw it with the unsubstantiated rumours about chalmers and alexy

BDD
Reply to  Emily Se-Bom Lee
4 months ago

Are you blind? Or just in complete denial after watching what I linked? Or did you not watch it? Get your eyesight checked.

Jake
Reply to  bobthebuilderrocks
4 months ago

That’s just plain disrespectful.

The coach was merely being courteous there and Leon completely ignored him. And unlike with Pan’s allegations, this time it’s being broadcasted live on TV cameras for everyone to see.

If the coach says that Leon snubbed him and showed no respect. He won’t really be lying since everyone can see that footage.

BDD
Reply to  bobthebuilderrocks
4 months ago

Are you blind? Or just in complete denial after watching what I linked? Or did you not watch it? Get your eyesight checked.

Last edited 4 months ago by BDD
Jake
Reply to  BDD
4 months ago

And that’s in front of cameras. :/

Can’t imagine what it’s like when the cameras aren’t even rolling.

Eric Angle
Reply to  BDD
4 months ago

It’s pretty clear to me that he didn’t realize the coach was extending his arm for a handshake. Marchand’s head was pointing down, and if he did see the coach move his arm, he might have assumed he was helping raise that rope Marchand was ducking under. Looks like a misunderstanding to me. Marchand doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would do that intentionally.

Swimmer.thingz
4 months ago

1:53.1 in a fast pool 🫢🤓🤓

A pro
4 months ago

Looks like most swimmers have swam to expectation on times, as the pool seems 0.4 off over 100m. More for some events. I put LM’s 200IM and 400IM at WR’s this week, in a normal pool. Same for Kaylee McKeowns double. Only Pan has transcended the pool limits these olympics.

Awsi Dooger
4 months ago

I thought he struggled a bit at the end of the backstroke leg and that his freestyle strokes weren’t long or emphatic enough toward the finish, with the exception of the stroke to the wall. That one was fine, the reverse Lochte.

That’s all nitpicking but that record is so good it was obvious every segment needed to be near perfect.

Marchand and Bowman were deflated because they realize you can’t dial up an attempt at that record during an everyday meet. There’s only one realistic chance per year, and only during prime years.

About Anya Pelshaw

Anya Pelshaw

Anya has been with SwimSwam since June 2021 as both a writer and social media coordinator. She was in attendance at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Women's NCAA Championships writing and doing social media for SwimSwam. She also attended 2023 US Summer Nationals as well as the 2024 European Championships …

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