In coming to the Paris Olympics, Leon Marchand had overwhelming pressure on him. At first, Olympia is in his home country, so the extra eyes are on him now. Furthermore, nobody has come as close to touching Michael Phelps’ record as he has. Therefore, the popular perception is that this Olympics could set him in the same position as the 2008 edition did for the Flying Fish. From that perspective, the 22-year-old has started his journey on a positive note and his native supporters have welcomed him with open arms. 

Today, at Heat 2 of the 400m IM event, Leon Marchand took 4:08.30 to earn entry into the final round. He remained almost one second ahead of the nearest follower, Max Litchfield. On the other hand, his arch-rival, Daiya Seto, claimed the third position. The audience at Paris La Défense Arena cheered the performance with the utmost enthusiasm. 

One such fan who had witnessed the eruption of cheering took to X, describing the atmosphere, “The aquatic center just lost their marbles for Léon Marchand! Deafening to absolute silence to an absolute roar. The crowd was timing their chant to his swim!” The audience had another reason to make their cheers louder today. 

Three years ago in Tokyo, Leon slipped to sixth position in the 400m IM final. That ranking shook him as after the Olympics, he decided to set sail for the USA to join Michael Phelps’ coach Bob Bowman. The association of both profited the French swimmer heavily as in the upcoming years, he made his name both in NCAA and elite swimming. Perhaps the reaping of success touched the ceiling last year in Fukuoka where Leon Marchand broke Phelps’ last world record, standing in the 400m IM event. Marchand shaved 1.34 seconds from it and replaced it with his new one. That accomplishment swirled the swimming world. 

The Baltimore Bullet himself came down to congratulate Leon, whereas coach Bowman touted him as the next Phelps. Now, after almost a year, today was the time when the 22-year-old found his moment to let his home supporters watch his ability in pools. The findings show the result is over the top. However, in the days ahead, this kind of excitement will become the new normal. 

Leon Marchand mixes his athleticism with nationalism 

“The main thing is just swimming as fast as possible. But it’s also not only about swimming when it’s a home Olympics,” came from him in an interview with the New York Times. That being said, Leon Marchand is now focusing on making the Paris Olympics memorable. In the 2012 London Olympics, Florent Manaudou, Yannick Agnel, Camille Muffat, and the 4x100m free team in the men’s category established France in a respectable position in the swimming world. Leon now wants to add extra wings to it. 

This time, he will compete in four individual events. Among those, in the 200m and 400m IM, Leon Marchand has hardly any match. Apart from those, in the 200m fly and 200m stroke, his chances are high to make it to the top three. So, if he could land those in reality, Leon Marchand knows that he will advance several steps to touch Michael Phelps. In this endeavor, he wants to utilize home support. In one conversation, the world champion said, “It’s an advantage to have the Frenchmen in the stands and be at home, so I’m going to try and use that enthusiasm.” And if he earns such backing, then no barrier could hinder his chance. 

Revealing that side, Leon Marchand subsequently added, “In terms of results, I would like to win a race, that (one gold medal) would be enough for me, but at the same time I have four races and four chances to do that.” So, now it’s time for all the fireworks in white, blue, and red.