Leon Marchand is hoping a scaled-back schedule will give him a shot at taking out Ryan Lochte’s long-standing world record in the 200 meters individual medley when the world championships begin in Singapore on Sunday.
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The Frenchman was the standout performer in the pool at last year’s Olympics, winning the 200 meters and 400 meters individual medley plus the 200 meters butterfly and 200 meters breaststroke in Paris, but will be swimming a reduced program over the coming eight days of competition.
Marchand will not participate in the butterfly or breaststroke events, leaving the 23-year-old better rested to potentially break Lochte’s 14-year-old record.
“I think this is a transition year for me so I wanted to have a lighter schedule than usual,” Marchand told the media on Saturday. “I wanted to focus on the 200 IM and the 400 IM and the relays with the French team.
