2025 Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite
- May 14-16, 2025
- Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center, Austin, Texas
- Long Course Meters (50 meters)
- Live Results
Olympic gold medalist, and the reigning world’s best male swimmer, Leon Marchand of France will race this weekend at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite in Austin, Texas in an attempt to hit French qualifying standards for the World Championships.
While France generally employs a closed qualifying system at their national championship meet, requiring swimmers to be top 2 and hit a certain time standard, they have apparently made an exception for their Olympic hero, according to his American coach Bob Bowman.
The French National Championships will be held from June 14-19 in Montpellier.
Marchand is scheduled to race the 200 free, 400 free, 100 back, 200 breast, and 400 IM as part of a compact field in Austin. Per the French selection procedures, once chosen for the team, he can add additional events if there is room.
Note that because Marchand is only 22, the U23 standards would technically apply to him.
Marchand has only raced once since October, at the Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale two weeks ago. There he swam:
- 200 free – 1:48.05 (8th in finals @ 1:49.66)
- 400 free – 3:48.97 (3rd in finals)
- 200 IM – 1:57.27 (2nd in finals)
- 400 IM – 4:13.86 (2nd in finals)
Only the 200 IM time qualifies him for the World Championships, which the French federation will also accept. He framed that meet as a test of where he was at after spending many months in Australia, not necessarily in full training. He said afterward “I’m a long way from my best times of last year, but at least I know what I need to work on…”
Marchand won four individual Olympic gold medals last summer in the 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM, as well as a bronze medal on France’s 400 medley relay.
The meet, which feels almost like an intrasquad, is almost entirely University of Texas swimmers and elite Longhorn Aquatics juniors. Other big Longhorn names scheduled to race include:
- Shaine Casas (100 free, 200 free, 100 fly, 100 back, and 200 IM),
- Jillian Cox (200 free, 400 free, 800 free),
- Carson Foster (100 back, 400 free, 200 breast, 400 IM),
- Piper Enge (100 breast, 200 breast, 100 fly, 200 free, 200 IM),
- Erin Gemmell (50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 400 free, and 200 IM),
- Chris Guiliano (50 free, 100 free, and 200 free),
- Nate Germonprez (100 breast, 200 breast, 100 fly, 200 free),
- Luke Hobson (50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 400 free),
- David Johnston (400 free, 800 free, and 400 IM),
- Hubert Kos (100 back, 200 back, 200 IM, 400 IM, 100 breast, 200 fly),
- Simone Manuel (50 free, 100 free, 200 free)
- Rex Maurer (200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 200 IM, 400 IM)
- Will Modglin (100 fly, 100 back, 200 back, 100 free), and
- Baylor Nelson (200 free, 200 IM)
There will also be a crew at the meet from Wisconsin, led by 2022 World Championship silver medalist Phoebe Bacon. Bacon is entered in the 100 back, 200 back, 200 IM, and 100 free. She will be joined by a group of teammates, including Abby Carlson and Maggie Wanezek.
The rest of the field will be filled out mostly by a handful of local age group swimmers and a handful of collegiate swimmers from neighboring states.
I love this boy ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🇫🇷
Y’all trashed Meehan for wanting to leave ACCs early, y’all better keep the same energy for this. Total lack of integrity
How is this even allowed by World Aquatics or the French fed? Are there gonna be officials/media there or is it just Bob keeping track? This situation is disrespectful and total garbage. What a slap in the face to other French swimmers and their fans. So other French swimmers are gonna race against the clock instead of him? There’s no explanation of how this is gonna work. How many times are people gonna bend over backwards for the golden boy? Nobody should be bigger than the federation/team/sport
World Aquatics has no opinion on it. He already has the qualifying times from approved qualification events so as far as AQUA is concerned, he’s already qualified and it’s up to the French Federation to decide if he’s good to go or not.
dude, chill !
How many exceptions this dude gonna get?
Non è un semplice tizio è Leon Marchand!
okay so all the respect to LM but this does make me slightly mad about the schedule change in singapore…he might not even race those 2 events and its inconveniencing so many other athletes, rip KD or TH 200 im (i do realize its not really LM’s fault)
In a recent World Aquatics video, Leon states that he would like to try some new events. He spoke about swimming freestyle. I personally believe Marchand will do awesome at Worlds this October. It’ll be a sight to see.
What worlds in October?
Worlds (LCM) are this summer (end of July and August).
May you speak about world cup in North America in SCM?
Yes. I mean in the SCM…*World Cup
TELL HIM I SAID HI
I love LEON MARCHAND.#1 FAN