Former NCAA Swimmer Kyle Sockwell Furious Over Fans’ Reaction to Leon Marchand’s Record-Breaking Performance

On account of his deep aquatic knowledge, Kyle Sockwell claims himself as the “president and CEO of Swimming Twitter”. Never missing out on being opinionated when it comes to anything related to swimming, the former Arizona State swimmer boasts of a magnanimous social presence. He either places his points through his own media channel, or resorts to partner USA Swimming Network to reach the public. But recently, he busted the reality of fan reactions.

Leon Marchand, the 500m NCAA record breaker, standing with a 4:06.18, achieved his greatest at the 2024 Pac-12 Men’s Swimming Championships. But things that followed have not been favorable, at least from the athletic point of view. Let’s see what infuriated Kyle Sockwell so much that he capitalized the words for better reach.

Kyle Sockwell is discontent with fan behavior

Taking to his X handle, the former Arizona State legend posted, “Imagine breaking an NCAA record (going the fastest time in history) in an event and then immediately after that people start talking about whether or not you’ll go OVER 6 SECONDS FASTER in that same event.” Clocking in at 4:06.18 was enough contentious to leave a mark at the Pac-12 event and to edge out rivals. But fan expectations peak when their preferred athletes set benchmarks. Having said so, Marchand fell victim to this practice as well, like several others.

Marchand, the 21-year-old young gun, isn’t a newbie in the turquoise. He has the long course 400m individual medley world record under his belt, including the French record in the 200m breaststroke, butterfly, and individual medley. Though having high hopes from a swimmer of measure isn’t unlikely, the weigh-down can take a toll on the athlete’s health. Now, let’s take a look at his multiple gold podiums.

Marchand and his illustrious swimming career

At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, the 21-year-old claimed the gold podiums of the 200m and 400m medley. The following year, at the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships, Marchand walked home with the 200m butterfly, medley, and 400m medley. Even at the 2020 Summer Olympics, he secured the sixth place in the 400m individual medley.

Having emerged as a rising star in the French swimming domain, the 21-year-old boasts an impressive medal collection. In no time, he would secure a place alongside swimming greats and make it to gold at the Olympics. Whether he’s stepping foot in Paris or not isn’t confirmed yet, but one checklist point is ticked.

READ MORE: Sun Devils’ Leon Marchand Shatters Yet Another NCAA Record To Clinch Gold in Uncharted Territory