Michael Phelps completely dominated the sport of swimming for decades. His unique talent and unmatched dedication ensured that he became the most decorated Olympic swimmer in history. With 23 gold medals, Phelps has a count almost double when compared to his next competitors. During his career, he broke records left right, and center. In the 2016 Rio Games, after writing 5 more medals to his name, Phelps announced his retirement from the sport. And now, a new young gun has taken his place when it comes to smashing records.

French swimming prodigy Leon Marchand broke Michal Phelps’ longest-standing 400 IM record. In June 2023, Phelps became the longest-standing world record holder in an event with his 400 IM after holding it for a total of 20 years and 342 days. During the 400m men’s heat in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, Marchand smashed the record and became the new 400m king. And during the entire time Leom Marchand was in the water, Phelps had a front-row seat to the occasion. This is what the legend’s reaction was.

Michael Phelps passes his crown to the new king

As Leon Marchand dived into the water to make history, the legend of competitive swimming watched in bated anticipation. Was the 21-year-old miracle going to finally achieve what the world has been waiting for all this year? The answer to the question was clear as Marchand cut through the water like a bullet, racing to the finish line ahead of everyone. Not only did he win the gold medal, but he also broke a record Michael Phelps held for almost 21 years. What was even more inspiring to witness was Phelps’ reaction to the incident.

The Olympic champion stood on the sidelines, giving his commentary on the swim. As Marchand proceeded to smash the standard set by him, Phelps cheered him on every second. In a video posted on Twitter by @yyanyanli1, Phelps was giving his commentary along with the caster. At one point while watching Marchand’s skills, they exclaimed, “Are you kidding me?” After the French prodigy achieved the world record, Phelps excitedly said, “Oh my gosh. I cannot get over that. What a race!” Clearly, Leon Marchand stole Michael Phelps’ heart, along with the hearts of all the fans.

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The most decorated swimmer of all time also embraced the young gun after the results were announced, presenting the future legend with his gold medal. Phelps also posted a photo of himself with Leon Marchand and Bob Bowmen. On the congratulatory Instagram post, he wrote the caption, “Congrats to @leon.marchand31 and @coach_bowman !! All records are meant to be broken and I know the work it took to get there… I’m excited to watch your journey”. It seems like the Frenchman has Phelps’ blessing in beginning a new era of swimming.

Leon Marchand: the one to watch out for

Even though it was expected that Marchand would take home the record, the air was still electrified when it actually happened. The 21-year-old was able to conquer Phelps’ record by a total margin of 1.34 seconds, a great margin. Michael Phelps set the record during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Phelps got a time of 4:03.84 and then went on a rampage to win 8 gold medals. His record was considered to be unassailable until the year 2022 arrived.

In 2022, Leon Marchand surprised everyone as he came within half a second of Phelp’s mark at the World Championships in Budapest after getting a time of 4:04.28. Then was when the world finally started contemplating the inevitable. Marchand was going to do it. And he did, Marchand proved his mettle. The next generation of great swimmers is here, with the young Leon Marchand leading the charge.

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