Sport
French swimmer Léon Marchand (20) won two silver medals in the relay on Wednesday at the American university championships.
Leaving to train in the United States after the Tokyo Olympics, Léon Marchand joined the State University of Arizona, and as such he is competing in the American university championships (NCAA) this week in Minneapolis. Now very well known on the other side of the Atlantic, having already won two university titles last year (in 200 yards breaststroke and 200 yards medley), in addition to his two world gold medals (in 200m 4 medley and 400m medley) with the French team, the 20-year-old swimmer got off to a good start in his competition, which takes place in a 25-yard pool, or 22.86 meters.
On Wednesday, the relays were on the program, and he won two silver medals with his team of the Arizona State Sun Devils, and broke two records. On the 4×50 yard breaststroke relay, Léon Marchand broke the NCAA record for the distance, in 22″27, which allowed his college to take second place in the final, behind North Carolina State. Then on the 4×200 yards breaststroke relay, Le Toulousain set a time never before seen in the NCAA of 1’28”42, and Arizona State finished with the silver medal, behind Texas.
Sport Three more possible medals for Marchand
Léon Marchand will still line up for three individual events by the end of these championships: the 200-yard medley, the 400-yard medley and the 200-yard breaststroke. With the objective of winning the gold medal, and nothing else. This Thursday, he signed the second fastest time in the series of 200 yards medley, in 1’38″33. Tuesday, the trainer of the French prodigy Bob Bowman confided in the columns of The team that his foal had made enormous progress, which could bode well for the Worlds this summer, and of course the Olympics next year.
“He made progress in the breaststroke but especially in the backstroke and the crawl, which we worked on a lot. It is also on the back that the difference is obvious. This year, Léon trained much harder, with higher intensities, and that, with a lot of constancy, regularity. That obviously explains his times. But I’m not really surprised. I see what he produces in training, his daily progress. ” It promises !
