July 30 (UPI) -- Leon Marchand sliced the pool water in 1:52.61 to break Ryan Lochte's 200-meter individual medley world record at the World Aquatics Championships on Wednesday in Singapore.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist broke the 14-year-old record in the semifinals of the event at the Singapore Sports Hub.
"I'm grateful for my coaches and all the staff behind me," Marchand, who earned a $30,000 check for his efforts, said on a streaming broadcast of the event. "It's been a pretty hard season, but I'm so happy to be here."
American Shaine Casas finished second, 2.44 behind the Frenchman. Great Britain's Duncan Scott placed third.
Lochte set the record with a 1:54.00 on July 28, 2011, at the world championships. He also owned the previous mark from a 1:54.10 swim in 2009. Michael Phelps set the record in the event eight times before it was broken by Lochte. He clocked a 1:54.23 for his fastest time at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
