A CP student, named Tom, was able to exchange a few words with Léon Marchand on the sidelines of the Occitanie inter-clubs this Sunday in Montauban. The young boy, who came with his mother, waited almost two hours behind a fence before being invited to come and meet his idol, at the edge of an outdoor pool.
Tom will have something to impress his friends during the next recess. This CP student managed to meet Léon Marchand on the sidelines of the Occitanie inter-clubs, this Sunday in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne). Arriving around 9 a.m. near the Ingreo aquatic complex with his mother, Tom raised his voice behind a fence located about ten meters from the pools to encourage his idol during his warm-up with the TOEC Dolphins.
“Léon, Léon, Léon! Come on Léon!”, shouted the 6-year-old boy for several minutes. The four-time Olympic champion heard him and gave him a small hand gesture from a distance, as relayed by La Dépêche du Midi.
A nice exchange with Léon Marchand
Determined to approach the star of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Tom then waited for almost two hours in front of the complex. The president of Montauban Natation and the general director of the Dauphins de TOEC then came to pick him up to present him to Leon Marchand, who was recovering in an outdoor pool.
Dressed in a coral-colored hoodie, gray bottoms and black sneakers with white soles, Tom approached the edge of the pool to exchange a few words with the 22-year-old swimmer, who was wearing a swimming cap. green bath, as shown in a video broadcast on the networks.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen him up close like that, I said hello to him,” Tom rejoiced after his dream meeting. “I'm a fan of him because I saw him on TV, he won four gold medals. It made me feel good to meet him. He asked me if it was me who was shouting behind the fence (smile)”.
