By Tom Decent
Singapore: The night four limelight at the world swimming championships could have been on Sam Short, seeking redemption in the 800m freestyle after his Paris Olympics heartbreak, where illness played a role in the world No.1 missing the final.
It should have belonged to his Australian teammate Mollie O’Callaghan, who powered home to claim gold in the 200m freestyle while Short bunkered down in a hotel room battling a nasty bout of food poisoning.
Dolphins rookie Harrison Turner’s remarkable bronze medal in the 200m butterfly from lane eight almost stole the show from an Australian perspective.
But then came French superstar Leon Marchand.
And Australia have one of their own to partly blame in Dean Boxall.
Marchand sent the crowd at Singapore’s OCBC Aquatic Centre into a frenzy, demolishing the men’s 200m individual medley world record by a staggering 1.31 seconds.
France’s Leon Marchand receives a cheque for US$30,000 (approximately AU$44,400) for breaking the 200m individual medley world record. Credit: AP
The craziest part? It was a semi-final. The final looms on Thursday night and who knows what more Marchand could do.
Already a national hero in France after winning four gold medals at last year’s Olympics, Marchand has made a habit of astonishing feats in the pool.
Breaking Michael Phelps’ ‘untouchable’ 400 individual medley world record two years ago. Winning two individual Olympic gold medals in 118 minutes at the La Defense Arena.
But eclipsing Ryan Lochte’s 2011 world record in the 200m medley — and not just by a fraction — stamped his brilliance once more.
Most swimmers chase the world record line with their fingertips. The time, the world record line was trying to catch Marchand’s feet, which are certainly not size 17s like Ian Thorpe, but do the trick.
Marchand touched the wall in 1:52.69 and even he was blown away by a time faster than Mark Spitz’ 200m freestyle effort during his seven gold medal blitz at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
“I actually can’t really believe it right now,” Marchand said. “It’s unbelievable for me. What’s crazy is that it’s a whole second. A 1:52 on the 200m — that’s insane. I’m so happy, it’s just incredible.”
Marchand, who studied computer science at college in the US, dropped both the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke this year to target world records in the 200m and 400m individual medleys.
Leon Marchand broke a 14-year-old world record in the 200m individual medley. Credit: Getty Images
He spent the early part of this year in Brisbane training with Boxall and his St Peter’s Western squad, which features the likes of O’Callaghan and Will Petric.
Petric, swimming in lane one of the semi, finished 5.52 seconds behind Marchand.
In between surfing trips to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, Marchand spent time with Boxall honing his freestyle.
“That group was really welcoming from the first week. They are amazing,” Marchand said in an interview with SwimSwam earlier this year. “It was a great experience. I have learned a lot about getting better at freestyle. That group is really good for that.”
A few lanes over during those sessions, O’Callaghan was rediscovering her love for swimming after her 200m freestyle gold medal in Paris.
Mollie O’Callaghan celebrates after winning gold in the women’s 200m freestyle final. Credit: Getty Images
On Wednesday night, she delivered again. O’Callaghan (1:53.48) swam a clinical race, using American Claire Weinstein to set the early pace before charging home in the final lap to win by 1.04 seconds.
“A positive environment definitely makes a world of difference,” O’Callaghan said. “It is nice to come to a pool and feel at home.
“Coming here was one of the last things I thought I would do. At the start of the year if you told me I’d be world champion again, I would be shocked.”
Australia had two genuine gold medal chances on night four. They left with one – and a case of what might have been.
The team was rocked by a food poisoning drama after Short announced he would not line up in the 800m freestyle final.
Short won a silver medal in the event at the 2023 world championships and was the second-fastest qualifier for the final. He was aiming to become the first Australian to win world championships gold in the 800m freestyle since Grant Hackett in 2005.
Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi took the gold in a time of 7:36.88, just under Short’s personal best of 7:37.76.
Swimming Australia says no other athletes have been affected.
“For him to not be able to swim tonight, you know he’s not feeling well because he’s an ultra competitor,” said Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor.
The unexpected story of the night was Turner, who not only won bronze but broke Nick D’Arcy’s Australian record in the 200m butterfly.
Turner wasn’t expected to make the team — let alone the podium — but has dropped massive personal bests in recent months.
“I never thought I’d be actually talking to you guys … this is something I dream about,” Turner said.
At the halfway mark of these world championships, the Dolphins still lead the medal tally on four golds, one ahead of the USA.
There’s a world where Short already has two golds in Singapore. Instead, he has a silver in the 400m freestyle — by 0.02 seconds — and a sore stomach that will be monitored in coming days. He hopes to be right for the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Kaylee McKeown’s absence from the 50m backstroke may have cost Australia another gold medal on the tally. Throw in the fact Ariarne Titmus is taking a year off.
But if Marchand and Canada’s Summer McIntosh keep pinching golds off the Americans, Australia may just be about to party like it’s Fukuoka 2023 — or even 2001 — all over again.
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