WATCH: Marchand’s 1:53.0 200 Fly, Ledecky & McIntosh’s 400 Free Showdown from Fort Lauderdale

2026 Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open

Watch two of probably the most head-turning races from Night 2 of the Fort Lauderdale Open.

Top 8:

1. Summer McIntosh (TXLA)- 3:58.91
2. Katie Ledecky (3:59.02
3. Emma Weyant (GSC)- 4:07.03
4. Nikolett Padar (TXLA)- 4:09.49
5. Cavan Gormsen (UN)- 4:11.28
6. Erin Gemmell (TXLA)- 4:11.42
7. Rylee Erisman (LAKR)- 4:12.54
8. Audrey Derivaux (JW)- 4:12.65

This race was precisely what we may have hoped for, as Ledecky and McIntosh have been facet by facet. McIntosh and Ledecky have been each on sub-4:00 tempo by means of the primary 200 free. But it was McIntosh turning about half a second forward of Ledecky on the midway level.

The two of them have been respiration proper on one another on the 2nd 50; McIntosh’s lead had shrunk a bit, with simply 100 meters to go. Ledecky nonetheless trailed, however by only a hair.

The remaining 50 meters have been nothing however grit as McIntosh and Ledecky each labored for each ounce of water and each inch of house. The lead that McIntosh had constructed proved to be simply sufficient, because it was the Canadian taking the win by simply over a tenth of a second in 3:58.91, leaving Ledecky simply behind in 3:59.02. That time strikes Ledecky into 2nd on the planet this season within the 400 free.

Top 8:

1. Leon Marchand (TXLA)- 1:53.08
2. Carson Foster (TXLA)- 1:55.09
3. Mitchell Schott (PRIN)- 1:56.41
4. Seb Lunak (NCAC)- 2:01.26
5. Noah Stotler (BSS)- 2:02.09
6. Grant Sanders (SPA)- 2:02.54
7. Arthur Balva (PRIN)- 2:03.40
8. Felix Vicknair (WVU)- 2:05.74

Marchand did Marchand issues, showing to cruise to the world-leading time within the males’s 200 fly in 1:53.08, making his prelims time of 1:56.80 seem like a warm-up swim. This swim marks the primary time we’ll see Marchand this week, as he swims his precise lineup from the Paris 2024 Olympics, the place he gained 4 gold medals.