Mr. Versatility: A Look at the All-Time Rankings of Leon Marchand
The versatility of Leon Marchand has always been a calling card of the French star. After all, he is the reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder in both individual medley events, where the ability to shine in multiple strokes is a must. More, he also owns Olympic titles in the 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly.
Over the weekend, Marchand put his vast talent on display at the U.S. Open, which he capped with a dominant performance in the 200 butterfly. However, he also unleashed a pair of efforts that further cast light on his spectacular range. On Day Two of the meet at the University of Texas, Marchand established a personal best in the 400 freestyle, clocking 3:44.70 to become the No. 2 French performer in history. He also went a career best of 51.20 in the 100 butterfly, an outing that pushed him into the top-30 of all-time among European athletes.
Below is a look at the versatility of Marchand and where he ranks in various events at the world, continental and national levels. While we undoubtedly appreciate the Frenchman’s status as the fastest man in history in the medley events, it’s notable that he’s been 59.06 in the 100 breaststroke and 1:57.14 in the 200 backstroke. It’s also significant to remember that Marchand has earned several of these rankings without racing the event in peak form. Take the 200 freestyle as an example. Although his personal best in the event sits at 1:46.44, we’ve seen him go sub-1:45 in relay action.
In the years ahead, it will be interesting to see where Marchand takes certain events. In the meantime, we can tip our caps to his spectacular range.
200 Freestyle – 1:46.44
All-Time Rank: N/A
European Rank: 49th
French Rank: Fourth
400 Freestyle – 3:44.70
All-Time Rank: 50th
European Rank: 22nd
French Rank: Second
100 Backstroke – 54.55
All-Time Rank: N/A
European Rank: N/A
French Rank: 17th
200 Backstroke – 1:57.14
All-Time Rank: N/A
European Rank: N/A
French Rank: Sixth
100 Breaststroke – 59.06
All-Time Rank: 43rd
European Rank: 21st
French Rank: Second
200 Breaststroke – 2:05.85
All-Time Rank: Second
European Rank: First
French Rank: First
100 Butterfly – 51.20
All-Time Rank: 62nd
European Rank: 28th
French Rank: Fourth
200 Butterfly – 1:51.21
All-Time Rank: Second
European Rank: Second
French Rank: First
200 Individual Medley – 1:52.69
All-Time Rank: First
European Rank: First
French Rank: First
400 Individual Medley – 4:02.50
All-Time Rank: First
European Rank: First
French Rank: First