SINGAPORE — French swimmer Léon Marchand captured the gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley at the swimming world championships on Thursday, showcasing the unique influence of Texas on his victory.
The silver was claimed by American swimmer Shaine Casas, while Hungarian Hubert Kós took home the bronze. Despite representing different nations, the three medallists share a common bond — training under the guidance of the renowned coach Bob Bowman at the University of Texas at Austin. Bowman is widely recognized for having coached the legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Marchand, who had just obliterated the 200 IM world record in the semifinals the day before, came close to doing it again with a time of 1 minute, 53.68 seconds, slightly slower than his previous mark of 1:52.69. Both times significantly surpassed the previous record of 1:54.00 set by American Ryan Lochte 14 years ago.
“It was a bit tough today, but it was great,” Marchand remarked. “Shaine is always fast off the blocks, so I knew I had to keep pace. It was a fierce competition up to the finish, which was really exciting for me.”
Last year at the Paris Olympics, Marchand secured four individual gold medals. In Singapore, however, he is focusing on two individual events. He currently holds the 400 IM record at 4:02.50, established during the 2023 world championships. He hinted that he might surpass this record on the final day, Sunday.
“This remains a fresh challenge,” Marchand explained regarding the 400. “I feel stronger, but we’ll see how it translates over the longer distance.” He further praised Bob Bowman’s coaching expertise and acknowledged the difficulty of bouncing back after his demanding record-breaking swim.
“I aimed for the title and was competing with my teammates,” Marchand reflected. “Sharing the podium with them is testament to Bowman’s exceptional coaching.”
In other events, Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh clinched the 200-meter butterfly gold for her third victory of the championships. Though on target to break the world record after 150 meters, she concluded her swim in 2:01.99, narrowly missing the record set by Liu Zige of China in 2009.
McIntosh plans to join Bowman at Texas for training this fall. American Regan Smith earned the silver with a time of 2:04.99, while Australia’s Elizabeth Dekkers secured the bronze at 2:06.12. Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old sensation from China, achieved her second consecutive fourth-place finish with a time of 2:06.43.
“My coach and I were targeting the world record,” McIntosh admitted, expressing disappointment at her near miss. “I came so close, but I didn’t execute the final 15 meters effectively.” Despite her dissatisfaction, it was the second fastest time ever recorded.
In the men’s 100 freestyle, Romania’s David Popovici took the gold with a time of 46.51 seconds — the second fastest in history, following Pan Zhanle of China’s 46.40 last year. Unfortunately, Pan did not qualify for the final. American Jack Alexy earned the silver, while Australia’s Kyle Chalmers took bronze.
Popovici, who previously collected a bronze in the Paris event and the 200 gold, emphasized the mental discipline required in racing, likening it to building imaginary barriers between lanes to ensure focus and precision.
In the women’s competition, Katharine Berkoff from the United States triumphed in the 50 backstroke with a time of 27.08, just edging out teammate Regan Smith, who posted 27.25 and claimed her second silver of the night. Bronze went to China’s Wan Letian, completing the race in 27.30. Team USA boasts four gold medals over five days of competition.
While team USA contends with a stomach bug from their training camp in Thailand, head coach Greg Meehan reported improvements in team health. Nonetheless, American swimmer Gretchen Walsh withdrew from the women’s 100 freestyle event.
Australia’s team shined in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay, securing gold with a time of 7:39.35. The United States took silver, finishing at 7:40.01, while China claimed the bronze with 7:42.99. This victory marked Australia’s fifth gold, placing them atop the medal table.
Among other standout performances from the semifinals, Marrit Steenbergen from the Netherlands led the women’s 100 freestyle qualifiers, and South Africa’s Pieter Coetze paved the way in the 200 backstroke. Meanwhile, Evgenila Chikunova excelled in the women’s 200 breaststroke and Japan’s Ippei Watanabe dominated the men’s equivalent event.