Léon Marchand breaks world record in 200 individual medley in 1 minute, 52.69 seconds

SINGAPORE (AP) — Léon Marchand broke the world record in the 200-meter individual medley on Wednesday at the world championships in Singapore, clocking 1 minute, 52.69 seconds to surpass the 1:54.00 set in 2011 by American Ryan Lochte.

The Frenchman set the mark swimming in the semifinals and, in theory, could break it again in Thursday’s finals.

Marchand won four Olympic gold medals a year ago in Paris, but he’s swimming only the 200 and 400 medley – and relays – in Singapore. Planning the lighter schedule in what he calls a “transition year” keeps him fresh to chase the world marks.

Marchand didn't just break the 14-year-old record, he shattered it.

“What's crazy is that it's a whole second — and it's still hard to believe,” he said. “1:52 on the 200 meters — that's insane.”

Marchand will swim the 400 IM on Sunday, the final day of the world championships. He holds that record of 4:02.50 set in the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka, Japan. And it seems likely to go.

“Today I felt really good before the race,” he said. “In the water, I felt light, I was taking in a lot of water and technically everything felt clean.”

Asked about swimming a lighter schedule he replied in an understatement: “It was probably the right decision.”

Marchand was about 1.8 seconds under the world record after 150 meters and powered home with the final freestyle leg.

Though this race did not yield a world title — that will come on Thursday in the final — it did win Marchand a check for $30,000.

“In the end I went out hard from the start,” he said. “But I stayed super-relaxed. I didn't make many mistakes. I didn't realize I was going that fast but I gave it absolutely everything. Arms at full speed all the way to the wall. At that point I wasn't even thinking about technique anymore.”

Despite being only a semifinal, Marchand overshadowed the five finals on Day 4 of the worlds — the halfway mark with four days more to go. Those finals produced medals for the United States, Australia, Italy, Tunisia, and the Neutral Athletes.

American Luca Urlando picked up the third gold medal for the United States in the championships, winning the 200 butterfly in 1:51.87. Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland was second in 1:52.64 with bronze for Harrison Turner of Australia in 1:54.17.

Urlando has battled back from several surgeries for his first big title on the world stage.

“It was a great race – all great -- a great moment,” he said. “I’m trying to have as much fun as I can with it.”

He was asked how he overcame the setbacks and he replied: “The belief that I could get back to a moment like this. Internal belief.”

Mollie O’Callaghan of Australia, the defending Paris Olympic champion in the 200 freestyle, repeated her title in the worlds, pulling away in the last 50 to finish in 1:53.48. Li Bingjie of China was the silver medalist in 1:54.52, with bronze going to American Claire Weinstein in 1:54.57.

O’Callaghan has had a difficult time coming back after the Olympic victory, dealing with the stress and the post-games letdown.

“I’ve had an amazing coach Dean (Boxall) to guide me through this difficult time,” O’Callaghan said. “It’s hard for a lot of people to come back after the Olympics.”

Weinstein, like many of the Americans, has been dealing with what team officials call “acute gastroenteritis” picked up at a training camp in Thailand before arriving in Singapore.

Ahmed Jaouadi of Tunisia won the 800 free, clocking 7:36.88 — the third fastest time ever swum in the event. Sven Schwarz of Germany claimed silver in 7:39.96 with fellow German Lukas Martens taking bronze in 7:40.19. American Bobby Finke, the three-time Olympic gold medalist, was fourth, far off the pace in 7:46.42.

Sam Short of Australia, who had the second-quickest qualifying time in the 800, pulled out of the race with what the team said was food poisoning.

One big shock came in the men’s 100 freestyle semifinals where world-record holder Pan Zhanle of China failed to reach the top eight for Thursday’s final. American Jack Alexy had the best time of 46.81 with David Popovici across in 46.84. Pan finished in 47.81, far off his world-record time of 46.40 set last year in Paris.

In the men’s 50 breaststroke, Simone Cerasuolo of Italy won in 26.54 with silver for Kirill Prigoda swimming as a Neutral Athlete, and bronze for Qin Haiyang of China.

In the women’s 200 butterfly semifinals, Canadian Summer McIntosh qualified in 2:06.22. Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old Chinese, swam 2:07.95 to make the final eight. Her time was the eighth best.

McIntosh has already won two gold medals and is trying for five in Singapore.

Yu finished fourth earlier in the championships in the 200 individual medley.

In the final event, the Neutral Athletes won the mixed 4x100 medley relay in 3:37.97. China was second (3:39.99) and Canada was third (3:40.90).

The United States failed to reach Wednesday's final after finishing 10th in qualifying. They were Olympic champions last year in Paris.

Britain and France also missed reaching the final.

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Leon Marchand of France competes in the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Leon Marchand of France celebrates after competing in the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Leon Marchand of France competes in the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Leon Marchand of France celebrates after competing in the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Leon Marchand of France competes in the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinal at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Leon Marchand of France celebrates after receiving an award for creating a new world record following the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Leon Marchand of France competes in the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinal at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Leon Marchand of France reacts after competing in the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Leon Marchand of France competes in the men's 200-meter individual medley heats at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Leon Marchand of France prepares to compete in the men's 200-meter individual medley heats at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Leon Marchand of France competes in the men's 200-meter individual medley heats at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Leon Marchand of France competes in the men's 200-meter individual medley heats at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Leon Marchand of France prepares to compete in the men's 200-meter individual medley heats at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Vote counting was underway Friday in Uganda’s tense presidential election, which was held a day earlier amid an internet shutdown, voting delays and complaints by an opposition leader who said some of his polling agents had been detained by the authorities.

Opposition leader Bobi Wine said Thursday he was unable to leave his house and that his polling agents in rural areas were abducted before voting started, undermining his efforts to prevent electoral offenses such as ballot stuffing.

Wine is hoping to end President Yoweri Museveni's four-decade rule in an election during which the military was deployed and heavy security was posted outside his house near Kampala, the Ugandan capital, after the vote.

The musician-turned-politician wrote on X on Thursday that a senior party official in charge of the western region had been arrested, adding there was “massive ballot stuffing everywhere.”

Rural Uganda, especially the western part of the country, is a ruling-party stronghold, and the opposition would be disadvantaged by not having polling agents present during vote counting.

To try to improve his chances of winning, Wine had urged his supporters to “protect the vote” by having witnesses document alleged offenses at polling stations, in addition to deploying official polling agents.

Wine faced similar setbacks when he first ran for president five years ago. Museveni took 58% of the vote, while Wine got 35%, according to official results. Wine said at the time that the election had been rigged in favor of Museveni, who has spoken disparagingly of his rival.

Museveni, after voting on Thursday, said the opposition had infiltrated the 2021 election and defended the use of biometric machines as a way of securing the vote in this election.

Museveni has served the third-longest tenure of any African leader and is seeking to extend his rule into a fifth decade. The aging president’s authority has become increasingly dependent on the military, which is led by his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Uganda has not witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence from British colonial rule six decades ago.

Voters line up to cast their ballots at a polling station, during the presidential election, in the capital, Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Election officials count ballots after the polls closed for the presidential election at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

An election official holds up unmarked ballots during the vote count after polls closed for the presidential election, at a polling center in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A political representative speaks as he works to observe and verify the counting of ballots after polls closed in the presidential election at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A supporter of leading opposition candidate Bobi Wine cheers while watching election officials count ballots, after polls closed at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)