{"id":618945,"date":"2025-07-29T19:27:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T02:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=618945"},"modified":"2025-07-30T03:46:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T10:46:30","slug":"world-championships-day-4-prelims-leon-marchand-debuts-in-200-im","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-4-prelims-leon-marchand-debuts-in-200-im\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships, Day 4 Prelims: Leon Marchand Leads 200 IM; Summer McIntosh Chasing Third Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Championships, Day 4 Prelims: Leon Marchand Leads 200 IM in 1:57.53<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the Paris Olympics, it seemed like hardly a day passed without Leon Marchand<\/strong> being in the water \u2013 and thus winning gold medals, and taking calls from international dignitaries, etc. etc.<\/p>\n

But the French all-conquering hero of last summer\u2019s Olympics has dialed back his expansive program this summer at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore to focus on the individual medleys. With the changed program moving the 400 IM deeper into the week, that means Marchand has been a spectator for the first three days in Singapore. But that ends Wednesday morning, with Marchand contesting the 200 IM, where he has explicitly targeted the world record<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Marchand led the way with a time of 1:57.63, the fastest of the prelims heats in the 200 IM in the fourth morning session. Also in action were backstroke medal-winning American women Regan Smith<\/strong> and Katharine Berkoff,<\/strong> a duel between Kyle Chalmers<\/strong> and Pan Zhanle<\/strong> in the 100 free and the return of Summer McIntosh<\/strong> to the water in the women\u2019s 200 butterfly. The session will conclude with the mixed medley relay prelims.<\/p>\n

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