In two months and two days the swimming events for the Paris Olympic Games will begin and Léon Marchand continues his preparation on the other side of the Atlantic. Crowned university champion at the end of March in Indianapolis with his college at Arizona State then winner of the 200m butterfly and 400m medley at the San Antonio meeting in mid-April before leaving for an internship in Colorado, French swimming prodigy continues his tour of the United States by competing this weekend at the meeting in Irvine, California. And the first day went perfectly for the Toulouse native, who celebrated his 22nd birthday last week.
Léon Marchand struck the spirits by winning his favorite distance of the 200m medley in 1′55′’74, ahead of two other protégés of Bob Bowman, Chase Kalisz (1′58′’76) and the Hungarian Hubert Kos (1′59′’83). The world champion and European record holder (1′54′’82) sets the 4th time of his career.
But it was especially in the 100m breaststroke that Léon Marchand achieved feats: he exploded his personal best by almost two seconds, dropping it from 1′1′’02 to 59′’06. By dropping below the symbolic one-minute mark for the first time in his career, he now threatens the old French record in the 100m breaststroke held by former specialist in the discipline Hugues Duboscq (58”64 at the World Championships in Rome in 2009). ).
All the lights are therefore green for the French swimmer, who still has to compete in the 100m NL and the 100m backstroke. This Irvine meeting should be his last competition in the United States before returning to France, for the national championships in Chartres from June 16 to 21, qualifiers for Paris 2024, where he should compete in 200 m and 400 m 4 swimming, 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke and one or more relays.
