Paris, July 27 (PL) - Huge and masterful are among the adjectives used in France for 21-year-old swimmer Léon Marchand, who won his second title of the tournament at the Fukuoka World Swimming Championships.

The phenomenal athlete devoured the 200 meters butterfly style in one minute 52 seconds and 43 hundredths, a remarkable mark, although far from the 1:50.34 of the Hungarian out-of-series Kristóf Milák, who decided not to go to the Japanese city to continue his preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris.

RMC Sport, L'Équipe, Le Figaro and other media did not spare praise for the native of Toulouse, four-time world champion with the two crowns in the 200 and 400 meters freestyle in Budapest-2022, and main French hope for Paris-2024.

Marchand had already garnered headlines everywhere on Sunday, when he smashed the last record held by living legend Michael Phelps in Fukuoka, swimming the 400 freestyle in four minutes, two seconds and 50 hundredths.

To ratify his form, the Frenchman also achieved, with visible comfort, the best record in the 200m freestyle, and will defend his universal crown tomorrow.