Leon Marchand is hoping a scaled-back schedule will give him a shot at taking out Ryan Lochte’s long-standing world record in the 200 meters individual medley when the world championships begin in Singapore on Sunday.
The Frenchman was the standout performer in the pool at last year’s Olympics, winning the 200 meters and 400 meters individual medley plus the 200 meters butterfly and 200 meters breaststroke in Paris, but will be swimming a reduced program over the coming eight days of competition.
Marchand will not participate in the butterfly or breaststroke events, leaving the 23-year-old better rested to potentially break Lochte’s 14-year-old record.
“I think this is a transition year for me so I wanted to have a lighter schedule than usual,” Marchand told the media on Saturday. “I wanted to focus on the 200 IM and the 400 IM and the relays with the French team.
“I’m really excited to do less than usual, just to see how far can I go, how fast can I go in the 200 IM.
“I’ve always done the 200 IM as a race before, the same as the rest, so it’ll be fun (to have) a lighter schedule.
“I’m just not used to starting on the Wednesday instead of the first day, which is good because I can finally cheer for my teammates.”
Marchand won gold in the 200 meters and 400 meters IM events at the 2022 and 2023 world championships and is the current world record holder in the longer of the medley events.
Lochte’s world record in the 200 meters individual medley has stood since July 2011, with Marchand swimming just six-hundredths of a second slower than the American’s 1 minute 54.00 second mark when he won Olympic gold last year.
“I’m excited for the Worlds. I want to be close to my (personal bests) in every single one of my races,” said Marchand.
“Of course, I want to break world records in the next few years. I don’t know when that’s going to happen. I still have a lot to do in the swimming world.”
Excited Marchand relishing reduced schedule in pursuit of medley record
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Excited Marchand relishing reduced schedule in pursuit of medley record
- Marchand will not participate in the butterfly or breaststroke events, leaving the 23-year-old better rested to potentially break Lochte’s 14-year-old record
Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh
- Napoli make second Super Cup final in new four-team format, which was introduced in the Kingdom in 2023
- Milan rue missed chances as Rafael Leao’s absence due to knock proves costly
RIYADH: On one of the coldest evenings of the year in Riyadh, the atmosphere inside Al-Awwal Park was anything but subdued. Thousands of fans braved the conditions to witness another major chapter in Saudi Arabia’s growing international calendar, as Napoli and AC Milan went head-to-head in the first semi-final of the 2025/26 Italian Super Cup.
It wasn’t to be for I Rossoneri, as goals from David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund proved decisive for Napoli, sending them into the Super Cup final for the second time in the new four-team format after missing out on last year’s edition.
Backed by raucous Forza Milan chants, Milan nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who reacted sharply to make a vital save.
Napoli responded with a spell of pressure of their own, but were repeatedly denied by a well-organised Milan defence.
Milan came close again in the 34th minute, as Adrien Rabiot was found inside the six-yard box from a dipping cross, only for his effort to fly over Milinkovic-Savic.
They would keep that momentum going as just a few minutes later, a swift counter-attack led by Alexis Saelemaekers found Christopher Nkunku on the edge of the box, though his strike also flew over goal.
Napoli punished Milan’s missed chances in the 39th minute. A low pass from Rasmus Hojlund across the box was parried by Mike Maignan straight into the path of David Neres, who made no mistake slotting the ball into the open net.
Napoli pushed for a second before the interval, with Hojlund testing Maignan again, who turned the striker’s effort behind for a corner. The Milan goalkeeper was called into action once again in the second half, producing a strong save to deny Amir Rrahmani.
Yet it was another powerful strike that finally broke past the Frenchman, with Rasmus Hojlund capitalising on a deep through ball from Leonardo Spinazzola to extend Napoli’s lead in the 63rd minute and tighten their grip on the game.
Milan fans briefly found a lift in the 75th minute when Luka Modric came out to a standing ovation, though it proved to be their only notable moment of the second half. Despite enjoying spells of possession, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were unable to break through and exited the tournament after just 90 minutes.
Napoli will now turn their attention to the final, where they will look to lift the Italian Super Cup for the third time in their history. For Riyadh, the semi-final marked another night of elite European football, with fans set to witness more action in tomorrow’s semi-final between Bologna and Inter Milan.
