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
France qualify for 2026 World Cup; Ronaldo sent off as Portugal lose to Ireland
- Two goals from star striker Mbappe helped two-time champions France to qualify with a 4-0 home win against Ukraine on Thursday
- Ronaldo will serve a mandatory one-game ban imposed for any red card when Portugal play Armenia
- Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway moved closer to qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 by beating Estonia 4-1 in Oslo
LONDON: Kylian Mbappe and France are going to the 2026 World Cup. And Cristiano Ronaldo might be banned from Portugal’s first game there if his team finally win their European qualifying group.
Two goals from star striker Mbappe helped two-time champion France to qualify with a 4-0 home win against Ukraine on Thursday. But Ronaldo was ejected for the first time in his international career and Portugal will have to wait until Sunday to secure a qualifying spot for the seventh straight time after it was stunned 2-0 by Ireland in Dublin.
Midfielder Michael Olize and substitute forward Hugo Ekitike added the other goals in a dominant second half from France, the World Cup runner-up in 2022.
Mbappe sent the penalty straight down the middle to break the deadlock in the 55th minute before Olize turned inside the penalty area to curl home the second goal in the 76th at Parc des Princes in western Paris. Mbappé poked in France’s third goal from close range in the 83rd following a goal-mouth scramble. Mbappe moved onto 55 goals and just two behind Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time top scorer.
“The French national team will always be better with him in it,” coach Didier Deschamps said about Mbappé. “He makes things easier for us. He performed his role perfectly this evening, as both a player and the captain of the national team.”
Mbappe went close to a hat trick moments later but blazed over after going clean through.
France have won Group D with 13 points, Ukraine and Iceland are tied on seven points and will play for second place when they meet on Sunday.
Ronaldo’s 1st international red card
Portugal will host last-place Armenia in the final qualifying game on Sunday, when Hungary host Ireland at the same time.
Portugal top Group F with 10 points, two ahead of Hungary. Ireland are third with seven points.
Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea on the hour. The referee issued a yellow card but minutes later upgraded it to red after a video review.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said he thought the ejection was “a bit harsh,” pointing out that Ronaldo “has never been sent off before in 226 games.”
Ronaldo will serve a mandatory one-game ban imposed for any red card when Portugal play Armenia. FIFA disciplinary rules require its judges to impose a ban of “at least two matches for serious foul play.”
Troy Parrott put the hosts ahead with a close-range header following a corner kick in the 17th minute against the run of play with Portugal dominant. Parrott added his second in the final minute before the break, beating Diogo Costa with a low shot from inside the area.
Haaland’s double
Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway moved closer to qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 by beating Estonia 4-1 in Oslo.
The win virtually secures a spot for the high-scoring Norwegians in next year’s tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Italy had to rely on late goals from Gianluca Mancini and substitute Francesco Pio Esposito to win 2-0 at Moldova and is second in Group I, trailing leader Norway by three points.
Italy will likely have to settle for the playoffs where the four-time World Cup champions were eliminated in the past two editions. They host Norway on Sunday and would have to win by a nine-goal margin to directly qualify because of Norway’s vastly superior goal difference.
Haaland has scored 14 of Norway’s European-best 33 goals in seven group-stage games. The Manchester City striker was born two years after Norway last reached the World Cup.
Still perfect England
Already-qualified England continued to cruise.
They beat Serbia 2-0 at Wembley Stadium to keep a perfect record in Group K and are yet to concede a goal.
Bukayo Saka fired England ahead on a rebound with a left-foot volley in the 28th after an initial shot by Nico O’Reilly was blocked. Substitute forward Eberechi Eze added the second in the 90th off a pass from another substitute, Phil Foden.
Albania beat Andorra 1-0 in the same group to secure the runner-up spot.
