"Did Leon Marchand sprint the whole thing?"- Fans react to Frenchman's 500y freestyle NCAA record that surprised Michael Phelps' coach Bob Bowman

Fans were left awestruck by Leon Marchand after the Olympic swimmer broke the 500 Yard Freestyle collegiate record at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships 2024.

The 21-year-old already held the previous best timing in the 500-yard freestyle in NCAA's history. He had clocked 4:06.18 at the Pac-12 Swimming Championships 2024 and has now clipped off 3.87 from his previous record during the 500-yard freestyle event in the ongoing edition of the Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. He clocked 4:02.31s to add another gold medal to his collegiate career.

Marchand, who had previously broken Michael Phelps’ 400m individual medley record, received a lot of praise from fans on social media. His coach Bob Bowman, who has coached Phelps as well, was also visibly surprised at his 500y performance.

Several fans heaped praise on Marchand, with one stating that the Frenchman may have sprinted the whole race.

"Did he sprint the whole thing?!?!?! Cause that’s impressive," they wrote.

Another fan was shocked over the French swimmer’s timing, questioning whether it was even possible realistically:

"How is this actually possible. Jaw dropping."

Another expressed excitement ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024 given the number of records that were broken over the men's and women's NCAA Swimming Championships in recent weeks.

They wrote:

"My mind breaks when I think about how fast all of them are going. This summer gonna be lit."

Here are a few more reactions:

Fan reactions to Leon Marchand's performance

Leon Marchand has won five World Championships gold medals

Marchand at the 2023 World Championships

Leon Marchand has already had an impressive World Championships career so far, with five gold medals to his name. He won two golds in the 200m and 400m medley events in the 2022 edition of the tournament in Budapest. He also clinched silver at the 200m butterfly competition.

The Frenchman also claimed three golds in the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, winning the 200m medley, 400m medley and 200m butterfly.

Marchand made his Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he finished sixth and tenth in the 400 metre individual medley and 4x100 metre medley relay respectively. He also placed 14th in the 200m butterfly and 18th in the 200m individual medley.