"Once a king, always a king!" - Amidst congratulating Leon Marchand, fans hail legacy of Michael Phelps during 2023 World Aquatics Championship

Besides congratulating Leon Marchand for his big achievement, fans continue to remember the legacy of the great Michael Phelps. On Sunday, the 21-year-old swimmer created history by beating the Baltimore Bullet’s long-standing 400m IM world record at the World Aquatics Championship.

Marchand’s remarkable victory got him praised by the swimming world, but many die-hard Phelps fans also recalled the greatness of his performances.

At the ongoing event in Fukuoka, Japan, Marchand won the gold medal at the 400 IM with an astonishing time-frame of 4:02.50. With this, he hit the jackpot of beating legend Michael Phelps's world record at the event by 1.34 seconds.

Moreover, to witness Marchand’s victorious moment, the retired swimmer was present at the stadium in Fukuoka, Japan.

After the wonderful performance, Phelps shared a warm picture of himself, Marchand, and their coach Bob Bowman on his Instagram profile to congratulate the swimmer. Besides congratulating the Frenchman, fans recalled Phelps’ swimming greatness and his partnership with his coach.

Fans reacting to Michael Phelps's legacy (Image via Instagram)

A user expressed that Phelps and Bob Bowman’s partnership will remain the greatest of all time.

"Respect to the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest swimming coach of all time🤞🏻"

"Iconic photo! You’re the greatest Michael! The irony of Bob coaching the next superstar to your WR ☺️"

Here’s how other fans reacted to the picture:

"He broke it yes congrats 👏 but one record that wont be broken is your greatness 👏 best overall swimmer of all time."

"So wonderfully passed on the baton, both under Coach Bowman!"

"Very impressive talent… but @m_phelps00 8 for 8 gold medals in Beijing is still the greatest accomplishment in all of sports history 👏"

"Don’t sell yourself too short there. From what you have been saying from watching and help coach him you did a great job too! Great to see all 3 of your work but into to this accomplishment!!"

"Phelps -> The master Bowman -> the teacher Leon ->the pupil"

"Love this picture. You’ll always be the 🐐 for me!! But amazing job, Leon, an incredible swim!!!"

"Once a king, always a king! 👏"

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Leon Marchand on receiving guidance from Michael Phelps

Leon Marchand at TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont - Day 2

To witness the historic moment of Leon Marchand’s win, Michael Phelps was present at the arena on Sunday. He was performing his commentating duties while cheering for the young swimmer.

Moreover, after winning the championship and beating Phelps’s record, Leon Marchand revealed his experience of getting guided by the legendary swimmer before the race.

He told Olympics.com in an interview:

“He was commenting on the race so it was pretty cool to see that. He just told me so many things and also what to improve on next time. It’s a great day."

Furthermore, Leon Marchand added that he was happy with the way he was handling the competition pressure. However, he believed that he could perform better and would utilize the one year he has ahead of the 2023 Paris Olympics.