Leon Marchand Blasts Career-Best 1:43.76 Leadoff in 800 Freestyle Relay; Leaps to No. 6 Performer
Any doubts concerning Leon Marchand’s preparedness for the European Championships were squashed on Monday night, as the four-time Olympic champion propelled France to the silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle relay. Handling the leadoff leg in front of a raucous home crown in Paris, Marchand delivered a 1:43.76 split, a career best and mark that makes him the No. 6 performer in history.
Heading into the European Champs, there were questions concerning Marchand’s health, as he was forced to withdraw from the French Elite Championships in late June with an adductor injury. Just a few days ago, Marchand announced that we would not contest the individual medley events at Euros, due to the risk of reinjuring his thigh muscle. Obviously, there is no concern with his freestyle.
Marchand jumpstarted the French squad in the 800 freestyle relay, as his split handed Les Bleus a nearly one-second lead over Italy, which received a leadoff leg of 1:44.72 from Carlos D’Ambrosio. Marchand was followed by Pierre Largeron (1:47.44), Sauveur Cristofini (1:45.28) and Roman Fuchs (1:45.75) as France finished second, not far behind the winning effort of Great Britain (7:01.52), which added its latest international title in the event.
The performance from Marchand makes him just the seventh man in history to break the 1:44 barrier in the event, and places him just behind American Luke Hobson 1:43.73) as the No. 6 performer. Yannick Agnel, the 2012 Olympic champion, holds the French record in the 200 freestyle at 1:43.14. In his sub-1:44 debut, Marchand opened with a split of 23.97 and went through 100 meters in 50.08. He made the 150-meter turn in 1:16.96.
Although he scratched the individual medley events from his program, Marchand will contest the 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle at the European Championships, and his Day One outing suggests big things to come in those events.
200 Freestyle (All-Time Performers)
1. Paul Biedermann (Germany) – 1:42.00
2. Michael Phelps (United States) – 1:42.96
3. David Popovici (Romania) – 1:42.97
4. Yannick Agnel (France) – 1:43.14
5. Luke Hobson (United States) – 1:43.73
6. Leon Marchand (France) – 1:43.76
7. Danila Izotov (Russia) – 1:43.90
