Arizona State swimmer Leon Marchand set a new world record in the men's 400-meter individual medley during the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Marchand swam the race in 4:02.50 seconds, surpassing the previous record set by the legendary Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“That was insane, one of the most painful things I've done,” Marchand said. “It was amazing to do it here, and the time is crazy.”

Michael Phelps is without question the greatest competitive swimmer ever, and this is the last of his individual world records to fall. He still holds world relay records with the United States teams for the 4×100 and 4×200 freestyle events. Phelps also holds a slew of Olympic records with 28 medals, 23 golds and eight first-place finishes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Phelps was in attendance as a television commentator and personally presented Marchand with the gold medal Sunday.

Leon Marchand finished the race 4.06 seconds ahead of American swimmer Carson Foster, who earned silver. Japanese swimmer Daiya Seto won bronze.

The 21-year-old swims at Arizona State for Coach Bob Bowman and said that his best is yet to come. Marchand will be a hometown favorite in the 2024 Paris Olympics and will certainly compete for medals. Despite his recent triumph, Marchand remains determined to improve further.

“I think I can handle the pressure pretty well right now,” Marchand said. “It's not perfect, and I can get better, and I have one year to improve.”

Two other world records fell on the opening day of the World Aquatics Championships. Australian Ariarne Titmus broke Katie Ledecky's 400-meter freestyle record. The Australian 4×100 freestyle relay team also set a new world record mark of 3:27.96.