After about six weeks away from the pool post-Olympics, French swimmer Leon Marchand returns to training today in France in preparations for a deep dive into the international short course meters season.
During his break, Marchand spent time travelling – including going on stage with DJ David Guetta in the famous party mecca of Ibiza, Spain.
He was also honored as the rank of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by President Emmanuel Macron, the entry level of the country’s highest national order of merit system.
“I took a long vacation and I tried to enjoy it,” Léon Marchand told RMC Sport on Saturday. “I also took some time alone where I was able to reflect and think about what I had done. So I have more perspective and I am much more calm about what I did a month and a half ago. I realized. It’s crazy and I’m so happy to have done it.” Before concluding: “It’s a lot of work behind it and that’s what I’m thinking about the most… And we’re going to have to get back to work.”
Marchand is scheduled for nine sessions this week back in his home city of Toulouse, France where coach Nicolas Castel will guide his training for the next several months. Castel says that with Marchand’s primary coach Bob Bowman focusing on his transition to Director of Swimming at top American collegiate program the University of Texas, it will be Castel who will manage Leon’s training until the new year. At that point, the French swimmer is expected to return to Austin, Texas and his partnership with Bowman.
Until then, Marchand will take place in all three stops of the short course meters World Cup in October and early November, in Asia, and the World Short Course Championships in December in Budapest, Hungary. This means he will miss the French Short Course Championships.
“He wants it to be a bit of a fun period,” Castel said to RMC Sport. “He is not putting any pressure on himself for the World Cups. He has no particular expectations. He wants to have fun. He wants to discover this format since he has never taken part in World Cups. For him, it will be a good exercise to prepare himself this time for the short course world championships.”
Castel teased Marchand swimming some secondary events in those meets as well.
Leon Marchand‘s Remaining 2024 International Competition Schedule
- Shanghai, China (October 18-20)
- Incheon, South Korea (October 24-26)
- Singapore (October 31-November 2)
- World Short Course Championships, Budapest, Hungary (December 10-15)
Marchand has shown off how good he is in short course yards via record-obliterating performances in the NCAA, but he hasn’t raced in short course meters since December 2019, before arriving in the United States and blooming from a talented age grouper to a global swimming superstar.
In many races, that has left his personal bests in an inverted position where his long course meters best times are faster than his short course meters best times – an unusual scenario. That includes in basically all of his primary events.
Below is a table of his short course bests in a few primary events, plus the French and World Records he might clear.
| SCM Best | French SCM Record | World SCM Record | |
| 200 free | 1:51.21 | 1:39.70 (Yannick Agnel, 2012) | 1:39.37 (Paul Biedermann, 2009) |
| 400 free | 4:30.30 | 3:32.25 (Yannick Agnel, 2012) | 3:32.25 (Yannick Agnel, 2012) |
| 200 breast | 2:05.85 | 2:03.33 (Antoine Viquerat, 2022) | 2:00.16 (Kirill Prigoda, 2018) |
| 200 fly | 1:58.49 | 1:50.73 (Franck Esposito, 2002) | 1:46.85 (Tomoru Honda, 2022) |
| 200 IM | 1:58.07 | 1:54.00 (Jeremy Stravius, 2012) | 1:49.63 (Ryan Lochte, 2012) |
| 400 IM | 4:07.55 | 4:06.85 (Jeremy Stravius, 2012) | 3:54.81 (Daiya Seto, 2019) |
RIP SETO
Huh? 4:30.30 for 400 SCM freestyle? Did he swim that when he was 12 years old or what?
Haha he was 14.
Realistically, how many SC WRs could he break at max strength. All 4 of his olympic gold events + maybe another??
Furthering your question, how low could all the SCM WRs be if SC was the main course of competition? Perhaps 1 second faster on 50s, 2 seconds on 100s, 4 seconds on 200s, 8 seconds on 400s?
#bring back SCM NCAAs!!!
All IMs (yes, even Dressels 49.28), 200 & 400 free, 100 & 200 breaststroke and 200 fly. I don’t know enough about his 200 backstroke, but I’d imagine he could get pretty close to that wr as well, if he focused on it.
Leon’s not a sprinter. No way he is taking down Dressel’s 100IM mark.
Lol. No chance of Dressels 100 IM record. No chance on 200/400 Free.
200/400 IM and 200 Fly maybe.
200 Breastroke is the one I would want if I was him. First 1:59.
He prob at least has a chance at Dressel’s 100 IM since his SCY 100 free is only like 0.3 off Dressel’s PB so the speed is not too far off which is the main difference. Unlikely sure but he has a chance
Let the guy get back in shape first and swim a few pedestrian times before the WR talk begins lol
By my calculations converting all his best SCY times to SCM, here’s what I got (in order of SCY event strength on swimcloud):
400 IM – 3:50.30 WR
400/500 FR – 3:29.59 WR
200 BR – 1:59.05 WR
200 IM – 1:46.43 WR
200 FR – 1:38.07 WR
200 FL – 1:49.32
So by that logic 200/400 IM, 200/400 Free, 200 Breast for 5 world records
I’m tempering expectations. There’s only really time for 6 weeks of training here before taper starts, and interrupted by meets and travel. In spite of those circumstances, I still think he is a strong favorite in 2IM, 4IM and 2BR and a possible winner in other events too, but whatever happens, it won’t show what he’s really capable of.
I’m so sorry Daiya
How much will world aquatics pay for world records at short course worlds?
He’s gonna get PAID this fall, by swimming standards.
I wish more top talent would do this to start an Olympic cycle. Travel and race and seemingly have a ton of fun.
He just got PAID by everyones standard. Probably made a couple of millions (~5?) in the last 3 months.
I don’t know his level of shape in December but if it’s good enough we can expect many great times. He’s the king of short format with his underwaters. We might see 3 WR (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 breast with the first sub-2 minutes maybe, a European record in the 200 fly). I think he’ll swim the 100 IM. And for the first time the 200 free and/or the 400 free. I’m looking forward to seeing him at the SCM World Championships.