Frenchman Léon Marchand has decided to put France aside to concentrate on his upcoming events.
Léon Marchand has been discreet in the media in recent weeks, after the end of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Spotlighted for a big month after his four gold medals and his recital in the Olympic swimming pool, the French swimmer needed a break.
But it is now time to return to competition with the objective of the Short Course Swimming World Championships in Budapest during the month of December. To prepare, the multiple Olympic champion made a radical choice and decided to put France and its fans aside by snubbing the French short course championships in Montpellier, from October 31 to November 3.
Indeed, to prepare and compete with international competition, the Frenchman has decided to compete in the stages of the Swimming World Cup in Shanghai from October 18 to 20, in Incheon in South Korea from October 24 to 26, then to end his Asian journey in Singapore from October 31 to November 3.
“Léon and Bob (Bowman, his coach – Editor’s note) had given themselves a certain period of recovery and a period to get back to work. Here we arrive at the right time. He will have had a good month of work before these stages of the Coupe du world. Already to leave France, to go and re-compete immediately with very good athletes so that the state of mind is quickly focused. It’s a way to get back into a high-level setting. , without too much pressure but with expectations for him and the people around”, explained Julien Issoulié the national technical director.
This month of competition will also be a sort of escape for Léon Marchand because he is “invited” by the International Swimming Federation for this triptych with many “social” activities. He will be accompanied by his little brother for the occasion, who is taking advantage of the school holidays to do this Asian tour with him.
Léon Marchand will also take the opportunity to test himself in other races. In China, he competed, in addition to his distances, in the 100m medley which he won or in the 100m freestyle, without the same success, finishing 4th. In Incheon the following weekend, he will also be competing in the 200m nl, a race he wants to add in the coming years. Finally, Léon Marchand will also be entitled to some nice prize money for the occasion with $100,000 promised to the winner of the general classification of the World Cup.
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