The waters are on fire in Indianapolis at the IU Natatorium! The NCAA Swimming Championships are on, and the country’s top talents are giving everything they have for the coveted national title. Amidst the ruckus, Leon Marchand and Luke Hobson are stealing the show by continuously pushing each other to the limits. With a staggering 1:28.81 on the clock in the men’s 200y free finals, Hobson is once again at the top of things with a new national record.

Arizona State’s Leon and Texas’ Luke are two swimmers who are sure to make their opponents’ day miserable. And now, while the two only crossed paths in two events so far (the 200 medley relay, the 800 free relay, and the 500 free), they’re looking to make the 2024 NCAA tournament one to remember.

The four-time national champion Hobson and five-time World Championships gold medalist Machand are making sure the fans get their money’s worth and are breaking a few records along the way. A recent post on X by Buttstroke Swimming, Hobson’s latest feat has been shared in an emphatic manner. “AND LUKE HOBSON SNATCHES IT BACK“, reads the enigmatic post, highlighting the mesmerizing feat that Luke has attained in the 200-yard event.

Leon Marchand dethroned, once again!

However, Marchand didn’t let go of his ground easily either. In the first session of the first day (March 27), the ASU athlete set the tone for the tournament by going 1:28.97 in the men’s 800-y freestyle medley. While Arizona didn’t win the team title, Leon’s performance bestowed on him the national record in the 200-y stretch, breaking Hobson’s record-setting 1:29.13 from only 10 minutes ago. However, Hobson was soon to usurp the throne once again.

On Friday, during the 200y prelims, Hobson went 1:29.75, only to gain more momentum and clock an impressive 1:28.81 in the event final. While Buttstroke Swimming’s previous post highlighted Marchand’s thrilling start to the 800 medley a couple of days earlier, even they had to acknowledge Hobson’s prowess in their latest post with astonished-looking emojis. But their rivalry didn’t end just with the 200-yard course!

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The powerhouse swimmers met once also for the men’s 500 free prelims on Thursday, and things only got more intense. In the prelims of the event, Hobson finished behind Marchand with the duo clocking 4:10.28 and 4:09.54, respectively. However, Hobson failed the match-up to the level of the reigning world champ and had to settle for second place in the final as well. With that, Marchand currently holds the national record in the 500y free event with 4:02.31 under his name.

As the Olympics beckon the country’s best swimmers, Leon will undoubtedly hope for his maiden gold on the big stage. With so much on the stakes, it waits to be seen if the recent competition from Hobson provides him with any additional boost to the systems.

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