the essential
This Sunday, November 10, the quadruple Olympic champion was in Montauban to participate in the Occitanie regional interclubs with his club. The opportunity to meet the partners of Toulouse, who praise the simplicity of the champion.
Serving the collective, to the delight of his friends from the TOEC Dauphins. In Montauban, Léon Marchand spearheaded his club for a regional competition. A detail that means a lot when his star status does not seem to have changed him. At least in the eyes of his people, those of his lifelong club.
During the three stages of the last World Cup in Asia, Guillaume Guth, also a member of the Dauphins, was present to swim alongside Léon Marchand. And therefore have a front row seat to witness the aura enjoyed by the Arizona State student.
“Nice to see him smash the times”
“It was really madness around him, and I understand that it could be heavy,” underlines the 24-year-old young man. “It’s no longer like before for him, we can’t deny it, and we have to deal with it. . When you write History, that’s the price of success.”
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But the accomplice, in this context, minimizes the presence of the star on these interclubs, for whom it would almost be a non-event. “It’s been three years since he competed with us, so it’s cool to mark the occasion.”
If Léon Marchand did not speak publicly in Montauban, he did, however, play the game of seflies with the many young swimmers, completely hallucinated to see the boss of the Paris Games, for real, and not only at the TV.
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“He's 'normal', well 'normal', that's a bit hasty to say,” laughs Alexandre D'agata (19), also a member of the Elite group among the Dauphins, and who swam in one of the relays of the day with the champion. A good memory for him to share this interclub battle with such a comrade in arms. Whose exploits he was able to observe from a privileged position at the Games, where he was a volunteer at the Paris La Défense Arena.
“Léon, we have known him for a long time at the club,” he continues. except that he managed to break through.”
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And the young man does not lose sight of the essentials, as a good self-respecting competitor: “It's really nice to see him smash all the times (laughs)! Especially since it brings us quite a few points in competition. Whether at the Games, or in interclubs, in the end it is always Léon who wins. Solo or with friends.
