Celebrated this Wednesday on the Place du Capitole with the other Olympic medalists from Toulouse, star swimmer Léon Marchand is now leaving his home with “a cap and glasses” to face his “quite radical change of status”.
“I’m going to lose some freedom and spontaneity because I can’t go out to restaurants like this anymore. I need to organize myself a bit more, to be with people, I can’t do my shopping alone… I put on a cap and glasses, I try to hide a bit. I’m not very recognizable so in general that’s enough,” said Léon Marchand, present in Toulouse for the celebration of Olympic and Paralympic heroes at the Capitol. The Toulouse native who lives in the United States was happy to celebrate his medals in his favorite city: “It’s special. I’ve celebrated in the United States, in Paris, pretty much everywhere, but not in Toulouse, my favorite city. Toulouse has supported us in sport for a long time. I think the day I won, the Capitol was lit up in blue-white-red, that says a lot (…) I enjoy a lot of things as soon as I return to Toulouse, in my comfort zone. My family is here, I have my house, my dog, my little brother… I go back to the United States every time with a lot of memories.”.
After the enchanting interlude of the games, Léon Marchand has already resumed training with his club, the TOEC Dolphins. For the moment he is enjoying: “There’s a bit of nostalgia, because we’ve experienced some pretty incredible moments. The emotions were crazy, even on our side as athletes. It’s obviously a bit sad to think that it’s the last celebration, but I’ll take what I can take and it’ll stay with me for life.”.
