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July 23 (UPI) -- French swimmer Leon Marchand etched his name in the history books this weekend after the rising star blew Michael Phelps' 400m individual medley record out of the water at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. The 21-year-old beat Phelps' record by 1.34 seconds on Saturday. Phelps raised Marchand's hand after seeing the world record he held for 15 years broken, CNN reported.
"That was insane, one of the most painful things I've done. It was amazing to do it here and the time is crazy," Marchand said, according to the official website of the Olympics. "The best is yet to come."
Marchand set the new record at 4:02.50. Early in the race his pace was as fast as 2.77 seconds ahead of Phelps' record-setting time before he slowed on the last 100m. He took the lead from American Carson Foster after the first 50m of the event.
It was not the first time Marchand had flirted with breaking Phelps' 400m record. Last year in Budapest he fell 0.44 seconds shy of matching Phelps.
"I'm just happy I have the longest-standing world record," Phelps said, according to NBC Sports. "I said to Bob [Bowman] earlier this year, 'I think this kid has the potential to break 4 minutes.'"
Marchand's work is not done after the 400m race.
He is still scheduled for three more events in Fukuoka. He will seek gold in the 200m butterfly after winning silver last year. He also races in the 200m breaststroke where he stands with the fourth-fastest time in history. Finally, he is slated to race in the 200m individual medley where he will defend his world championship.
Marchand may drop out of the 200m breaststroke because the semifinals will start within 20 minutes of the 200m individual medley.
