The Texas sun has little to do with the Parisian grayness. We are almost 100 days from the start of the Paris Olympic Games, and it is still very far for a very zen Léon Marchand and still on cloud nine after having shone in the finals of the university championship (NCAA), two weeks ago . In San Antonio, he participated this weekend in the Tyr Pro Swim Series, the first long course competition of his season. A distant glimpse of what awaits him in Paris in a little over three months.
“Getting back into the water after the NCAAs was difficult,” he confided at the end of the weekend which saw him win the 200m butterfly, the 400m medley and finish 2nd in the 200m breaststroke. These university finals were really great and the rest was more difficult physically and mentally. »
A few steps away, at the edge of the pool, his trainer Bob Bowman is not being picky: “His weekend here was satisfactory,” he says. The times are good and so is the way he swam. There are things he can improve on but overall I’m happy. He needs to get back to serious training now. It’s been a while since he trained very hard. »
“I don’t really realize what it’s going to be.”
In terms of difficulty, the Toulouse swimmer will be served: two and a half weeks with Bowman at the University of Texas, then three and a half weeks at altitude in Colorado, before continuing with a competition in California, another week in the Texas and finally a flight to Toulouse where he will begin preparing for the Olympics!
“It’s getting closer,” he notes. I don’t really realize what it’s going to be like, even though I already have experience of the Tokyo Games. I’m excited, but firstly, I want to prepare and be well physically and mentally. »
In San Antonio, he was also able to verify the attraction he now arouses. Behind barriers, spectators wait to have him sign autographs and autograph photos. “Last year, when I returned to France, I understood a little of what was happening,” he remembers. In the United States, he is somewhat protected from the frenzy that surrounds his every step. “When I beat Michael (Phelps’s) record last summer, it was a big thing, but in mid-August I was already back in the United States taking my classes,” puts things into perspective. he.
“Bob makes training more fun”
In a few weeks, he will be one of the attractions of Paris 2024 but this new status does not seem to bother him that much. “For the general public, not winning at the Games would be a failure,” he admits. But for me, it wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s not going to change my life. I can now really enjoy and smile every day in what I do in the water. And I don’t need competition to celebrate. I travel and I have lots of friends. I enjoy all these moments. The Games are a bit of a bonus. »
This smile which very rarely left him during this competition weekend, Léon Marchand says he gets it from his training partners (“We spent a lot of time together and we were able to build real relationships”) but also work proposed by Bob Bowman. “Bob brings a lot of fun to training,” he confides. Slightly tighter starts, swimming changes, combination races or challenges at the end. It makes training more fun. »
Even though he is enjoying his life to the fullest, the swimmer plans to take a good break after the Games. But that will be in well over 100 days. And it’s still very far away…
