France, July 30 -- French swimming sensation Leon Marchand set a world record on Wednesday as he powered into the final of the men's 200m individual medley at the world swimming championships in Singapore.

The 23-year-old, who won four gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finished in one minute, 52.69 seconds to slash more than a second off Ryan Lochte's exploit of one minute and 54 seconds which the American set in July 2011 at the world championships in Shanghai.

Marchand said: "I knew I was going to get close to my personal best because I felt really good today, and the preparation has been pretty good, so I was really excited to race. But one minute and 52 is unbelievable for me."

Marchandemerged as one of the stars of last year...