2024 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Sunday, June 16 – Friday, June 21
- Chartres, France
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Entry List
- Results
- Live Stream
- Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
- Finals: Day 1 | Day 2
MEN’S 400 IM – FINALS
- World Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2023)
- World Junior Record: 4:10.02 – Ilya Borodin, RUS (2021)
- French Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand (2023)
- 2021 Winning Time: 4:09.65 – Leon Marchand
- Olympic Qualifying Time: 4:12.50
Top 3
- Leon Marchand (Dauphins Toulouse OEC) – 4:10.62
- Emilien Mattent (Charleville-Mezieres Natation) – 4:16.22
- Jaouad Syoud (Dauphins Toulouse OEC) – 4:19.91
Leon Marchand, with his swim tonight, is officially on his way to Paris. After placing 6th in the 400 IM in Tokyo, Marchand has turned himself into the dominant force in the event. He swept both the medleys at the 2022 Worlds and 2023 Worlds and in yards, has lowered the mark by handfuls of seconds each season he has swum it.
The 4:10.62 he swam is not one of his fastest swims; he’s been under 4:10 at least four times, but it should be no reason to panic. It is very likely that Marchand is not fully rested, if rested at all and with the lack of domestic competition in his events, he should feel very little pressure. Looking at his splits, we can support such a deduction.
| Fly | Back | Breast | Free | Total | |
| 2024 French Trials | 55.26 | 1:03.84 | 1:09.60 | 1:01.92 | 4:10.62 |
| 2023 Worlds Prelims | 54.27 | 1:02.97 | 1:11.95 | 1:01.69 | 4:10.88 |
| 2023 Worlds Finals (WR) | 54.66 | 1:01.98 | 1:07.64 | 58.22 | 4:02.50 |
Marchand was faster tonight than his 2023 prelims time, which, as we all know, was the step right before his World Record breaking 4:02.50. In comparing the splits of the two 4:10s, we can see that Marchand has improved his breaststroke dramatically and was just a little slower across the other three hundreds. If he was out of shape and died, we could expect to see the first 100s closer to his world record, and the back half would see a dramatic drop-off.
Last night, Marchand’s closet rival Carson Foster booked his ticket to Paris as he swam a 4:07.64 to qualify for his first Olympics. While the American’s time is almost three seconds faster than Marchand’s results from today, one should not read too much into it.
| Fly | Back | Breast | Free | |
| Marchand Trials | 55.26 | 1:59.10 (1:03.84) | 3:08.70 (1:09.60) | 4:10.62 (1:01.92) |
| Foster Trials | 55.33 | 1:58.82 (1:03.49) | 3:09.63 (1:10.81) | 4:07.64 (58.01) |
After the breaststroke, Marchand had a theoretical lead over close to a second on Foster but also an eight-second lead and, unlike Foster, was not being chased by the defending gold and silver Olympic medalists and the ghosts of three years past.
This is no to say that Foster (and Chase Kalisz) don’t have a chance in Paris, as if you have a lane, you have a chance, but I wouldn’t go writing any Marchand obituaries.
It’s just a warm up for O! No competition..don’t need an in depth analysis!
Marchand most likely isn’t going to be threatened in the 400 IM I would expect 200 IM 200 breast and 200 fly to be much harder victories for the world record holder
It seems like he’s gunning for the 200 IM more with his much improved speed in NCAAs and the fast 100 breast he dropped. Should still win the 400 IM in Paris easily but may not be a world record
I just saw the entire race & he was easy all the way through ….specially on the free leg
Can you imagine if Marchand chokes at his home Olympics especially after him and Bowman forced the Olympics to change the schedule??? That would be KARMA
Let sport decide and not Buddhism.
Lmfao everyone is lowkey scared right now. Y’all are protesting a little too much. Almost like you’re trying to convince yourself.
Foster will be about 4:04 in Paris, Marchand needs his A game
But 3:59 is faster than 4:04
I’m guessing Foster is 4:05, Kalicz 4:07, and Marchand 4:04 in Paris. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on Leon and the US always performs on the big Oly stage.
Of course Marchand needs to be at his best in the OG close to his record or breaking it, like every swimmer. I don’t see 4:04 for Foster. I bet on a time between 4:05 and 4:05.50.
Can I have what you are ingesting?
Does Foster have a shot if he is on at the Olympics?
The only way I can see it is if the home crowd nerves get to Marchand (unlikely), or he gets DQ’d swimming more then 15m underwater, (also pretty unlikely)
With respect to nerves, Marchand has consistently risen to occasion, swimming his fastest when it mattered most. If anything, the home crowd could make him swim that much faster.
Yup.
Marchand is like Phelps in that regard.
Here’s what Bowman said about Marchand ( https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/after-ncaa-record-leon-marchand-has-sights-set-on-ncaa-team-title/ ):
“He has what all high performers have, which is the ability to block everything out at the critical moment and focus on the task at hand. He’s very good at that, as good as anybody I’ve ever coached at that, to be honest.”
Could be possible that the crowd gets Marchand too amped up and he goes out like a freight train. If Foster is ever gonna beat him it’ll be on the free leg, and there’s no better way to do that than if Marchand goes out way too fast
Freestyle leg? Marchand is faster than foster on freestyle on any day and in any event.
Lol no
I think Foster’s best bet at beating him head to head will be at a World Championships where Marchand has not fully tapered or taken on too large of a schedule. Sad to say as an American but probably true.
Are we actually having a conversation about whether Marchand can be beaten? I’m not saying anything either way, I’m just surprised that this conversation is happening.
Edit: PS: nice name
“Hey what if the guy that has often underperformed when it matters most beats the guy that has never underperformed when it matters most?”