Yes kids, you read that right 4:02.3 for 500 yd, taking about 4 sec off the the old record of 4:06. That’s about 48.5 per 100 yd for five 100s in a row. Absolutely amazing swim. Discuss.
In only about 190 strokes which is wild. He must have gills to stay underwater so long on all those flip turns.
Yes kids, you read that right 4:02.3 for 500 yd, taking about 4 sec off the the old record of 4:06. That’s about 48.5 per 100 yd for five 100s in a row. Absolutely amazing swim. Discuss.
I can explain.
I’ve noticed in the last few years that all timing devices (pace clocks) at the places I swim at are some how speeding up the instant I start swimming. So, in Star Trek fashion to balance out the universe the college swimmers have the same phenomenon in reverse, i.e. their clocks slow down when they hit the water.
I’m in favor of a trade; now would be a good time for that phenomenon. Please
In only about 190 strokes which is wild. He must have gills to stay underwater so long on all those flip turns.
I watched the replay. He’s literally only swimming 240 yards above water…the rest is submerged dolphin kicking…seems like 12-13 yards per wall under water
In only about 190 strokes which is wild. He must have gills to stay underwater so long on all those flip turns.
I watched the replay. He’s literally only swimming 240 yards above water…the rest is submerged dolphin kicking…seems like 12-13 yards per wall under water
Ya it is amazing to me that he can keep staying 12-13 yds underwater for 20 lengths in a row vs most other guys 8 yds UW at the most. I wonder if he has a 10 liter capacity vs your average of around 5-6 L. 
Ya it is amazing to me that he can keep staying 12-13 yds underwater for 20 lengths in a row vs most other guys 8 yds UW at the most. I wonder if he has a 10 liter capacity vs your average of around 5-6 L. ://
I said this over 10 years ago when I first saw guys starting to do underwaters in the 200, that soon one day it will be done in the 1650/1500. Just took awhile, but Leon is just showing the way forward and how the modern distance swimmer is going to have to train. IF you watch his on top swimming, it is no faster than the top 10 others he is racing. He beats them, and beats them badly, by his underwaters. Now I can guarantee you that other top competitors are training to do the same thing and close that gap. It is not as easy as just going and doing it, there is a good amount of athleticism that is required, and Leon definitely has that…
But his advantage now is like the advantage the first to do underwaters had back in the day. The gap will be closed and all eyes will be on that red buoy in the lane line. Those that cannot master it will stay in LCM, that will be the last bastion of the old original turn, until it isnt.
Ya it is amazing to me that he can keep staying 12-13 yds underwater for 20 lengths in a row vs most other guys 8 yds UW at the most. I wonder if he has a 10 liter capacity vs your average of around 5-6 L. ://
I said this over 10 years ago when I first saw guys starting to do underwaters in the 200, that soon one day it will be done in the 1650/1500. Just took awhile, but Leon is just showing the way forward and how the modern distance swimmer is going to have to train. IF you watch his on top swimming, it is no faster than the top 10 others he is racing. He beats them, and beats them badly, by his underwaters. Now I can guarantee you that other top competitors are training to do the same thing and close that gap. It is not as easy as just going and doing it, there is a good amount of athleticism that is required, and Leon definitely has that…
But his advantage now is like the advantage the first to do underwaters had back in the day. The gap will be closed and all eyes will be on that red buoy in the lane line. Those that cannot master it will stay in LCM, that will be the last bastion of the old original turn, until it isnt.
Even in 1500LCM me, the person who can do 10m underwater for 29 turns will soon have a big advantage. That will still be 1/5th of the race underwater!!!
If it becomes too much about the underwater, it will probably become regulation restricted.
IT already is regulated, that happened a long time ago…
Now it would make sense if SCY or SCM had a different rule than LCM, but I suppose they are trying to foster a universal turn for all formats…
Not an answer to you Monty.
LCM / Olympics is the only thing that matters in international swimming - yes short course is more and more about your UW skills. But I think the only place short course matters is in the States. I don’t think they should change the rules - 15 meters is a good limit, and Leon is not even close to doing 15 meters for the 500 yards, still a lot of room for improvement. But this doesn’t make his UW skills less fantastic
The irony is a French guy racing at Arizona does half of a unique US race distance underwater. Still does not take away that NCAAs is often one of the most competitive swim meets on the planet, just because many people who race at NCAAs actually cannot make their ultra deep national squads and race at Olympic games.
Also how does it work in US if you are a student and earning large $$$. I assume you need some working visa to stay in USA and keep earning or you stop earning and you stay on a student visa?
So maybe it is simpler to finish the degree and keep racing NCAA. Can you earn from endorsements back home in France and put it in a trust fund and keep NCAA status and keep earnings offshore so as not to get in a straightjacket on US Visas?
I’m not trying to take anything away from NCAA - it’s really a place to develop skills - starts, walls and UW.
I just wish we could have LCM and either SCM or SCY - would be way more easy to compare to Europe and the rest of the world 4:02 should be around 3:32 - which is the european SCM record by another Frenchman, Yannick Agnel
I’m not trying to take anything away from NCAA - it’s really a place to develop skills - starts, walls and UW.
I just wish we could have LCM and either SCM or SCY - would be way more easy to compare to Europe and the rest of the world 4:02 should be around 3:32 - which is the european SCM record by another Frenchman, Yannick Agnel
I am assuming that you truly don’t understand what NCAA Div1 sport is all about. Across sports, while development is going on, this is not some kind of a bush league development league. The performances across NCAA sport can surpass anything that you have happen in SOME pro leagues and certainly inside the Olympic games. For many athletes, it is the pinnacle of their athletic life. Its not “just a place to develop”.
I don’t really have skin in the game because where I live USports in Canada is development. Its not pro level. That probably applies in the rest of the world too. NCAA Div 1 is s completely different animal, and taking it is step further it gives USA a massive competitive training ground for future corporate leaders, that other countries can’t seem to replicate (look at the top 1000 markt cap companies globally and you will see how USA is above and beyond any nation when it comes to competing in global markets).
But back to the swim meet!!!
In only about 190 strokes which is wild. He must have gills to stay underwater so long on all those flip turns.
I watched the replay. He’s literally only swimming 240 yards above water…the rest is submerged dolphin kicking…seems like 12-13 yards per wall under water
Ya it is amazing to me that he can keep staying 12-13 yds underwater for 20 lengths in a row vs most other guys 8 yds UW at the most. I wonder if he has a 10 liter capacity vs your average of around 5-6 L.
(not a swimmer asking) Surely there’s a trade off between underwater speed and oxygen for longer events. Like, I can go across the pool underwater pretty easily once, but my next length is severely compromised.
If he’s doing 12y underwater after flip turns for a duration he’s >50% “no breath”. If I tried to do that it would be well below easy pace if it was even possible.
The point is: a 500y/4m performance of breath control suggests, at worst, he should be able to maintain 80% or 10y off every wall indefinitely. That is to say, will we see 800/1500m swimmers extending SDK’s? Or is there another limiting factor?
I was a middle distance Div 1 swimmer long ago. Not a very good one, but I was.
A few times I got lapped in a 500 race, Leon would have damned near lapped me twice!
It would have been pretty close at the 400 for me, but I would have just made it.
The times this year are so incredible. When I swam I think only two people had gone sub 20 in the 50. Now it takes 19.2 to make the B final.
actually if he does 12y underwater and 2y before the wall, that is 14y out of 25 no breathing !!! That’s 280y out of 500m no breathing!!!
In only about 190 strokes which is wild. He must have gills to stay underwater so long on all those flip turns.
I watched the replay. He’s literally only swimming 240 yards above water…the rest is submerged dolphin kicking…seems like 12-13 yards per wall under water
Ya it is amazing to me that he can keep staying 12-13 yds underwater for 20 lengths in a row vs most other guys 8 yds UW at the most. I wonder if he has a 10 liter capacity vs your average of around 5-6 L.
(not a swimmer asking) Surely there’s a trade off between underwater speed and oxygen for longer events. Like, I can go across the pool underwater pretty easily once, but my next length is severely compromised.
If he’s doing 12y underwater after flip turns for a duration he’s >50% “no breath”. If I tried to do that it would be well below easy pace if it was even possible.
The point is: a 500y/4m performance of breath control suggests, at worst, he should be able to maintain 80% or 10y off every wall indefinitely. That is to say, will we see 800/1500m swimmers extending SDK’s? Or is there another limiting factor?
Maybe. I looked at the video of Bobby Finke setting the NCAA/American record for the 1650, which he set back in 2020, and he was going maybe 7-8 yds UW so consid less than 12-13. One thing to consider is that not everyone is great at UW kicking as you have to have those dolphin-like ankles. So some guys are going to do better by doing short UWs and then getting more air. I think might espec be true for distance swimmers as they frequently don’t have great kicks, which is one reason they became D swimmers.
ETA: Here’s the Finke video: https://swimswam.com/2020-secs-floridas-bobby-finke-demolishes-american-record-with-1412-mile/
I was a middle distance Div 1 swimmer long ago. Not a very good one, but I was.
A few times I got lapped in a 500 race, Leon would have damned near lapped me twice!
It would have been pretty close at the 400 for me, but I would have just made it.
The times this year are so incredible. When I swam I think only two people had gone sub 20 in the 50. Now it takes 19.2 to make the B final.
Ya, Leon would lap a lot of decent 500 swimmers twice. I mean, in the grand scheme of swimming a 5:00 flat 500 is not super fast but it’s faster than 99.9% of swimmers will ever go. IMO the 5:00 is very respectable.
I’m not trying to take anything away from NCAA - it’s really a place to develop skills - starts, walls and UW.
I just wish we could have LCM and either SCM or SCY - would be way more easy to compare to Europe and the rest of the world 4:02 should be around 3:32 - which is the european SCM record by another Frenchman, Yannick Agnel
I am assuming that you truly don’t understand what NCAA Div1 sport is all about. Across sports, while development is going on, this is not some kind of a bush league development league. The performances across NCAA sport can surpass anything that you have happen in SOME pro leagues and certainly inside the Olympic games. For many athletes, it is the pinnacle of their athletic life. Its not “just a place to develop”.
I don’t really have skin in the game because where I live USports in Canada is development. Its not pro level. That probably applies in the rest of the world too. NCAA Div 1 is s completely different animal, **and taking it is step further it gives USA a massive competitive training ground for future corporate leaders, that other countries can’t seem to replicate (look at the top 1000 market cap companies globally and you will see how USA is above and beyond any nation when it comes to competing in global markets). **
But back to the swim meet!!!
You seem to be suggesting/implying that many of the top 1000 companies are led by former D1 athletes. I have never heard this before. Have you seen some sort of survey or report on this???
5:00 for 500 seems like a good quality marker to me. It is top-division states cut here in MI, and in my limited experience seems like the threshold to make most D3 programs for distance. Maybe equivalent to…16 minutes for 5k?
My son’s club teammate just won the Horizon League (D1) 500 in 4:20.27. He is very close to his Olympic Trials cut in the 400. He was a 3-time state champ in the 500, probably would have been 4 if not for COVID. I’m not a swimmer so my sample is small, but he is the fastest kid I know. That Marchaud is that much faster than him is mind-blowing!
I don’t think it has been mentioned, but that Kyle Sockwell guy is doing good things on IG promoting swimming. NCAA women’s tri could use a hype beast like that.