Less than an hour and a half after his coronation in the 400m medley, Léon Marchand was in the final of the 200m freestyle. Well you know what? He is more human than we thought.
First lesson: Léon Marchand is human
As it turns out, Léon Marchand was not the favorite in this final. It's quite rare to say it when the Frenchman takes part in a swimming race. Aligned in the final of the 200m freestyle, the Toulouse native faced specialists in this specialty, such as Pan Zhanle, Olympic champion in the 100m during the Paris Olympics. But it was the Briton Duncan Scott who had the last word, completing the eight lengths in 1'39”83.
Behind, Léon Marchand still managed to grab second place, beating his personal best (1'40”91), only an hour and a half after his victory in the 400m medley final, and even though he was not does not act on his favorite race. We have already seen greater reasons for hope.
