Leon Marchand Wins 400IM at French Championships

Leon Marchand finished the 400IM in 4:04.56 at the French Championships.

He posted 4:11.90 in prelims and returned to deliver a masterclass in medley swimming.

His splits were 55.18/1:57.31/3:05.40/4:04.56.

This performance ranks as the fifth-fastest in history, with Marchand owning five of the top six performances.

Marchand's time dislodged Tomoyuki Matsushita at the top of the rankings.

Emilien Mattenet was second in 4:17.28, almost 13 seconds behind Marchand.

Jaouad Syoud of Algeria finished third in 4:23.47.

Marchand's masterclass concluded the evening after Marie Wattel won the final women's event.

Marie Wattel led the 100 free throughout in 53.96.

Beryl Gastaldello was second in 54.10, 0.05 ahead of Mary-Ambre Moluh.

Michel Arkhangelsky of Bahrain set an Asian record in the 50 fly with 22.91.

Nikita Baez was the first Frenchman home in 23.26.

Clement Secchi finished in 23.38 and Lysander Osman in 23.61.

Bertille Cousson led the women's 200 back from start to finish to take the title in 2:08.67.

Pauline Mahieu was second in 2:11.71 and Lou-Anne Guiton third in 2:12.28.

Carl Aitkaci was the only man to break the minute mark in the 100m breaststroke.

He came from 0.40 down at halfway to go past Antoine Viquerat on the second 50.

Lou-Ann Gaudaire headed the fastest heat of the women's 800 free in 8:35.08.

Alexa Reyna was second in 8:36.64 and Laura Gourgeon third in 8:44.25.

Marchand's performance at the French Championships solidifies his position as a top swimmer.

He will look to continue his success in upcoming events.

The French Championships saw several records broken and impressive performances.

Leon Marchand's 400IM time will be one to watch in the lead-up to the next major competition.