22-year-old French swimming prodigy Leon Marchand is France’s man of the moment. The 400m individual medley gold medalist broke over a decade-old deadlock for France, becoming the first man on his country’s swim team to win an Olympic medal since 2021. Yet, Marchand’s hunger to prove himself is fueling his body to push for more medals.

Throughout Tuesday, the swimmer displayed superhuman levels of strength and stamina in the pool, swimming four times within 24 hours. The 5x World Championship gold winner’s morning started with the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke heats. That would’ve been enough to drain many elite swimmers. However, the former Arizona State University alum jumped right back into the pool.

After acing the qualification heats, Leon Marchand started the evening with the 200m butterfly semifinal. However, less than 90 minutes after the 200m fly semifinal, Marchand lined up for the 200m breaststroke semis. However, the seemingly tireless athlete had already looked forward to the upcoming finals by the time he spoke to the press. “I think it should be easier tomorrow and I can just go all out in both races tomorrow night, so that will be really fun for me,” Marchand said during a press conference.

To put things into perspective, despite swimming in two heats in the morning, Leon Marchand seems unfazed during the semis. The Toulouse native continued to dominate the competition, finishing first in the 200m butterfly with 1:53.50 on the clock. After resting for just over an hour, he won the 200m breaststroke semi-final 2 with a time of 2:08.11s.

However, despite seemingly brushing off the challenge, even the 22-year-old confessed that the grueling day took a physical toll. “Four races is a lot for my system, so I’ve got to sleep a lot, eat a lot, and I’ll be ready for tomorrow night,” said the swimmer. However, prioritizing recovery is one of the reasons behind Marchand’s inhuman stamina.

Leon Marchand is acutely aware of the importance of sleep

The Olympian elaborated on how he planned to return 100% for the 200m butterfly and breaststroke finals. His secret? “I’ll sleep a lot,” said Marchand. The man who became an instant star after his victory in Paris realized the recovery potential of sleep after his 6th place finish in the 400m individual medley in Tokyo. In March 2024, the swimmer revealed that sleep helped him manage his energy and pull off back-to-back races without having to sacrifice performance.

Michael Phelps, the man many compare the French swimmer with, also spoke about the importance of sleep. Speaking to CNBC Television, the 23-time Olympic gold medalist explained that not just athletes but everyone should prioritize sleep. “Sleep for me is one of the things people overlook and that to me is shocking,” said the 39-year-old.

However, whether it’s through sleep, diet, training, or a combination of everything, one thing is clear: Leon Marchand isn’t ready to settle for one gold. So even if competing four times a day seems too challenging, the 22-year-old will find a way to make it work.