5 statistics to prove Leon Marchand is better than his competition

Leon Marchand has been the most talked about swimmer in recent months. His performances have been off the charts. It wasn't long before he entered the chat about him being one of the best ever swimmers to be a part of the sport.

During the recently concluded 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, Leon Marchand displayed some great performances in most of the events he competed in. According to SwimSwam, he swam the fastest times in history in six events of the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in 72 hours (roughly).

Every time he enters the swimming arena, Leon Marchand displays performances that are way better way than his competitors.

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5 statistics that indicate Leon Marchand is better than his competitors

1) Leon's first 100-yard is the fastest split

Leon's swim in the first 100 yards of the 200-yard individual medley event was the fastest split in history. He completed his first 100 yards with a time of 44.07. This is said to be the fastest in history by 1.43 seconds, according to SwimSwam. This split, when taken into account, would have even helped him in other events of division II and III, such as:

• Qualifying for the B final in the 100-yard freestyle at the 2023 NCAA Division II Championships
• Finishing in the top three at three of ASU's dual meets this season (in the 100-yard freestyle)
• Earning a 27th-place finish in the prelims at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships in the 100-yard freestyle
• Placing fourth overall in the A final of the 100 yard freestyle at the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships

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2) Leon Marchand's time in the 200 IM is only slightly slower than the fastest possible add-ups

Another feat from the French Swimmer's performance in the 200-yard individual medley of the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships is Leon Marchand's time of 1:36.34 is only 0.59 seconds slower than the fastest possible add-up in history.

Leon Marchand times:

• Butterfly - 21.09
• Backstroke - 22.98
• Breaststroke - 27.66
• Freestyle - 24.61
• Total - 1:36.34

The fastest add-up in history, as revealed on SwimSwam, is attached below:

• Butterfly – 20.88 (Shaine Casas at the 2020 Art Adamson Invitational)
• Backstroke – 23.79 (Andreas Vazaios at the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships)
• Breaststroke – 27.98 (Destin Lasco at the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships)
• Freestyle – 23.10 (Destin Lasco at the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships)
• Total – 1:35.75

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3) The French Swimmer owns seven of the top 10 times in the 400 IM as a sophomore

The exciting young swimmer now has seven of the top 10 times in the 400-yard individual medley as a sophomore. Another swimmer who owns seven of the top 10 times in history is seven-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel. Dressel owns this record in the 50-yard freestyle.

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4) Marchand's first 200 yards of the 400-yard IM was the fastest

The French swimmer's first 200 yards in the 400-yard individual medley was the fastest split in history by 2.24 seconds, according to SwimSwam. He completed his next 100 yards with a time of 58.59. This was nearly four seconds faster than Tyler Clary's 1:02.48.

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5) The French Swimmer's time in 400 IM is also slightly slower than the fastest add-up in history

Leon Marchand clocked a time of 3:28.82 in the 400-yard individual medley of the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. The time of 3:28.82 is 0.29 seconds slower than the fastest add-up in history.

Time clocked by Leon for each stroke:

• Butterfly - 47.10
• Backstroke - 52.20
• Breaststroke - 58.59
• Freestyle - 50.93
• Total - 3:28.82

The fastest add-up as revealed on SwimSwam is attached below:

• Butterfly – 48.00 (Hugo Gonzalez at the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships)
• Backstroke – 52.96 (Tyler Clary at the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships)
• Breaststroke – 58.13 (Josh Prenot at the 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships)
• Freestyle – 49.44 (Bobby Finke at the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships)
• Total – 3:28.53

Leon Marchand is almost there with just a 0.29 second deficit. He definitely has time on his side and hence could break the above record in the future. The aforementioned statistics also prove that the French swimmer is becoming better than his fellow competitors.