Leon Marchand’s performances at swimming’s world championships gave a tantalising glimpse of what he could achieve at next year’s Paris Olympics, while Australia’s stars will also be confident after an impressive display.
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French sensation Marchand was irresistible in Fukuoka, winning three gold medals and breaking Michael Phelps’ long-standing 400m individual medley world record.
The 21-year-old cut a relaxed figure in and out of the pool, rarely looking flustered.
The Paris Olympics will be a different matter, with the expectations of the host nation cranked up to potentially overwhelming levels.
Marchand said he was “super-happy” with what he achieved in Japan, where he was named the competition’s top men’s swimmer.
“It’s not perfect, there are always things to improve,” he said.
“But I’m super-satisfied with what I’ve done this year.”
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown took the women’s MVP award after sweeping all three backstroke events.
She was one of several outstanding performers in an Australian team that tied their best world championships tally of 13 golds to top the medal table for the first time since 2001.
McKeown said the prize was a reward for “how well we’ve done as a collective as an Australian team”.
“For me, as proud as I am, I feel like I should have shared that with my teammates,” she said.
Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan became the first woman ever to complete a 100m-200m freestyle world double, and won five gold medals overall.
The 19-year-old also played a part in four world records both individually and as a team, including setting a new mark in the women’s 200m freestyle.
Another Australian, Ariarne Titmus, won an epic women’s 400m freestyle final, outduelling American Katie Ledecky and Canadian Summer McIntosh in a world-record time.
Ledecky dusted herself down and went on to claim gold in both the 800m and 1500m…
