Forget the 1:52.69. To ask Léon Marchand to match his newly minted and astonishing World record a day later in a World-title final would be like greeting Neil Armstrong back from his giant step for mankind with a "do you mind popping back, the snaps are a bit blurred".

And so, a new line emerged in the final: a podium sweep for coach Bob Bowman and the Texas Longhorns. The fastest test set among training partners in history, perhaps:

• Léon Marchand (FRA), 1:53.68, the second-fastest in history and a time that fills the 1:53 void with a landing absent yesterday when he flew from 1:54 flat down to 1:52.69. His third gold, after Budapest 2022 and Fukuoka 2023, joins his father Xavier's silver in the same event back in 1998 - and leaves France in third place on the all-time medals table in the 200IM, the USA on top, Hungary in second, the three countries all adding to their lofty all-time status today
• Shaine Casas (USA), 1:54.30 as the third fastest American an ouch shy of the pioneers of 200IM pace for two decades before Marchand, Ryan Lochte (1;54.00) and Bowman's winner of 23 Olympic golds, Michael Phelps (1:54.16, after having set eight world records in the event along the way).
• Hubert Kos (HUN), the Hungarian Olympic 200m backstroke champion, on 1:55.34, Phelps' old sparring partner Lazslo Cseh still hanging on to his 2009 shiny 1:55.18 national (then European) record.

All off which locked out Britain's silver medallist from the past two Olympics, Duncan Scott, on 1:56.32, a solid effort given the goals around him in a season of "transition" after a long post-Paris break and a time of reset, refuel and proceed steady on the road to what would be a fourth Olympics, medals won at all the previous three: two golds, six silvers. more medals that all those won by the three men ahead of him pout together - so far, at the crossroads of generational shift.

Bowman might also be said to be targeting Britain in particular. He has Luke Hobson and other 200m men) in his squad. Hobson is the man who blocked Scott's return to the 200m freestyle podium in Paris three years after silver by just 0.04sec behind teammate Tom Dean in Tokyo. And Hobson is currently the captain - or at least lead pace man - in U.S. efforts to overcome a run of defeats by Britain's Dean, Scott, Matt Richards and James Guy (plus heats men) in the 4x200m freestyle, including the 2020ne and 2024 Olympic titles and the 2023 World title.

On.the way to LA2028, expect many more strategic moves aimed at getting American hands to the wall ahead of the rest at a home Games. Of course, for Bowman, coach to international stars like Marchand and Kos, and soon to be joined by Summer McIntosh, he's on a mission that knows no borders.

Here's the World record history file from Marchand's 1:52.69 yesterday:

M200IM: Marchand Monsters The Medley World Record: 1:52.69 - Faster Than Spitz On Freestyle

Léon Marchand left behind his best of 1:54.06, for Olympic gold as the hero of his Home Games last year, as he leapt over Lochte, the whole 1:53 zone, and landed beyond the speed of Spitz on the fastest stroke of all four - freestyle

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Marchand had not expected the speed he mustered yesterday, nor even what is now the 'lesser' pace of today;'s victory. He said:

"I mean, this year has been up and down all the time - like every other athlete, I would say. But I’m just so happy to be at my highest level right now, competing in front of this pretty cool crowd. It’s been really good, so thank you guys. I'm just thankful for my coaches and my staff behind me.

“Tonight was very special for me. I mean, the podium is basically Bob Bowman’s team. That's pretty special. I’m so happy to raise those guys at their best level. It's been great to race here.”

The World record had cost him a good night's sleep:

"... falling asleep in 30 minutes? Impossible. After the race, I missed the train - I just kept thinking about everything. I replay the race in my head, go over the conversations I had with my family, the coaches, and all that. It’s like that every time. I just hoped I could feel a bit fresher than usual after the 4x100 on day one. That’s usually the hardest part for me. It’s still a whole new challenge. I know I’ve gained a lot of power, but I’m not sure yet if it makes a big difference over the 400. We’ll see…”

"I felt so excited yesterday that I couldn’t sleep, so I was enjoying the moment too, yesterday a lot. So I think I lost a lot of energy ... but it was my goal to break the record, so I was really happy with it. And then today was a different mood. I would say, I was going for the title, and I was racing my teammates during the heats, so that was pretty fun. 3 of my teammates, and we’re sharing the podium together, that’s just showing how good coach (Bob) Bowman is in swimming."

He felt the weight of effort from his semi but approached the final relaxed, the goal already achieved. That made the final "really fun, I enjoyed it again. I tried to relax a bit, watched some videos, read a little, tried to calm down… but it wasn’t easy. I think I got up around 12.30 today, so it took the whole day to really wake up.

"It was a bit rough, especially before a final — there’s still a title on the line. I know Shaine always goes out super fast, so I knew I wouldn’t be far off from him. It was a battle all the way to the end, so that was cool for me. Now, when I look at my pace over the first 50 metres, I’m already almost going all out. It’s kind of fun to test how far I can push like that — like, can I really finish a 200 metres going out that fast? I still think I’m missing a bit of endurance ... [telling] for the 400 IM on the last night. I feel like I could’ve closed a little stronger. Maybe next time… even if the next time is in a few years, who knows. But it’s an event where I’m improving pretty fast. I’ve got good benchmarks now, so that’s encouraging."

Casas said he felt "a little bit tired, but confident.

"That was my first great swim in probably three years. So I'm pretty happy with that. Everybody saw what happened last night, so that was definitely kind of on my mind. You know how talented and great Leon is, but you know, I just kept telling myself that I'm a great competitor and I'm at the same level, maybe a little bit back. But you know, we keep working and pushing towards getting to that mark as well. But I was pretty happy with that race. I feel like that's got to be one of the most competitive races in a long time, so I thought that was great to be a part of. 

“I'm grateful for, you know, this new change that I have, being with Bob (Bowman). Those guys are my teammates. So there was not really this feeling of envy or any frustration, or any ill feelings toward each other. I was hoping they would swim well, and I'm sure they were hoping I would swim well. You could change out in any order, any of us Texas guys, and I'd probably be okay with that. At the end of the day, I did everything I could leading up to this meet. So I'm pretty content with where I'm at.”

On what it was like to race marshland, Casas said: “He went for it yesterday, so I know he got the time out of his head, and he just wanted to race tonight. I just wanted to race as well. I wish I was a little bit closer. I wish that I would have pushed it a little bit harder. But, you know, a best time, two best times in 24 hours, and the last time was three years ago. I can't really ask for anymore.”

And what did Bowman bring?

“He brings competitiveness and determination and grit out of you. And if you want it, you'll get it, and if you don't, then you'll stay where you're at.”

Kos raced a double this evening, the 200IM final preceding qualification for the final of the 200m backstroke tomorrow. He said:

“I gotta say I'm pretty tired after that. It was a tough double. I think Hugo Gonzalez [ESP] was the last guy to do it. And I'm not sure, but I can see why people don't usually do that double. It's kinda hard, but really happy with the result. I know coach Bob wanted me to go a bit faster on that backstroke. But we're working on it, and tomorrow's a new day. So if I want to win, if I want to do well in that event — these guys have gone really, really fast over the past year – I'll definitely have to improve my best if I wanna do well there.”

Asked about sharing the podium with training mates, he said:

“So special. That moment only comes around once in a lifetime. To have that and to be there with the only three Texas guys – because something happened to Carson (Foster, USA), we're not quite sure yet what it was – it was absolutely amazing and a really, really special moment."

Asked about Marchand's World record, Kos said:

“I'm still trying to find the words. That kept me awake last night, so still trying to process that. That was amazing.”

Two quick notes from the history file:

1. Kos' bronze kept alive a club of three nations that have won a medal at every World Championships since 1973: United States, Germany and Hungary.
2. When Mark Spitz was racing to his seven golds, his 200m freestyle time a fraction slower than Marchand's four-strokes record, as we noted yesterday, while Sweden's Gunnar Larsson claimed gold in the 200m medley in a World record of 2:07.17. Larsson took the inaugural World title a year later in 2:08.36 when the race was somewhat tighter than today's: 0.06sec to Stan Carper's silver for the USA, Britain's David Wilkie less than half a second from gold.