Getty Image / Sarah Stier
Michael Phelps is quite easily one of the greatest athletes in the world when it comes to the Summer Olympics.
With 23 gold medals, it’s hard to imagine anyone catching him anytime soon. Or so we previously believed.
As it turns out, there’s a newcomer in town that’s already turning heads after he broke a 20-year long record by Michael Phelps.
According to Sports Illustrated, French swimmer Leon Marchand finished the “individual medley in 4:02.50, destroying the GOAT’s world record by 1.34 seconds.”
Phelps first set the record back when he was just 17 years old. Additionally, Sports Illustrated reports that he then, “then bettered it seven times. The final duration of his ownership: 20 years and 342 days.”
As for swimming’s rising star Leon Marchand, he couldn’t help but be surprised with what he accomplished in his latest competition, per SI.
“Marchand’s reaction on a live Peacock broadcast, after seeing that he had annihilated the last individual world record of the greatest swimmer ever: ‘What the f— is happening?'”
That’s an impressive feat no matter how you look at it. Especially considering he broke Michael Phelps’ record that nobody’s even come close to in just over two decades.
On top of that, it’s cool to see Phelps celebrate the moment with Marchand. After the race, the multi-winning gold medalist stood next to Leon Marchand and took some pictures with him.
He even raised Marchand’s hand after he won his medal.
With that said, perhaps we’ll finally see somebody challenge Michael Phelps’ historic numbers. If so, we might be witnessing the next big-name athlete in the upcoming Summer Olympics.