Michael Phelps Passes the Torch Onto Young French Swimmer Who Broke His Last World Record

When Michael Phelps retired in 2016 after the Olympics in Rio, he held individual world records in five different races. But in the years since, the next generation of swimmers have already begun to outdo Phelps' astronomical accomplishments. One young French swimmer in particular, Léon Marchand, has been knocking down Phelps' records one by one.

And on Sunday, July 23, Marchand beat Phelps' last remaining individual world record.

Marchand completed the 400 meters individual medley in four minutes, 2.50 seconds at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan over the weekend. With his jaw-dropping time, Marchand shaved 1.34 seconds off Phelps' 2008 record. The 38-year-old former competitive swimmer had previously held the world record for nearly 21 years, regularly eclipsing his own personal best.

"That was insane, one of the most painful things I’ve done. It was amazing to do it here and the time is crazy," Marchand said after the race, according Olympics.com. "The best is yet to come."

Marchand's focus is now turned to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where he's sure to be celebrated as a hero. "I think I can handle the pressure pretty well right now," he said of his rising star. "It's not perfect and I can get better and I have one year to improve."

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As for Phelps, he was more than thrilled to witness Marchand's accomplishment firsthand. "He was very impressed by the time," the 21-year-old recalled. "He was commenting the race. It was pretty cool to see that."

After the race, Phelps raised Marchand's fist in a triumphant display of a longtime champ passing on the torch to a new generation. Still, while Marchand has been likened to Phelps as a swimmer on the rise, he's acknowledged that he'd rather make a name for himself.

“I don’t want to be compared to Phelps all the time,” he said before last year's world championships, according to Agence-France Presse. “I’m very, very far from him... Let’s say I want to create my own path, I don’t want to follow Phelps." But while Marchand wants to blaze his own trail, he's also following in Phelps' footsteps by working with the Olympian's former trainer, Bob Bowman.

Marchand could be swimming into the history books himself if he keeps up the hard work. Time will tell how the Paris Olympics will play out, but he could very well cement his status as this generation's Michael Phelps by the time of the closing ceremony next summer.