Watching Léon Marchand leave his competitors in the dust at the French capital will always be unforgettable. The prodigy couldn’t make a mark in his debut in the Japanese capital. But during the Games at his home turf? He quickly rose through the ranks by being dubbed France’s Golden Boy. Even though the Olympian stayed away from swimming for a short time, he yearned to make a triumphant return and keep that Marchand Mania going. 

The 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup commenced on October 18. After a short time away from the pool, the wunderkind made his much-awaited return. The 22-year-old stole hearts by bagging 5 medals and 4 Olympic Records in Paris. Many hoped that this time wouldn’t be any different. After a thrilling show in Shanghai and Incheon, the competition will head to Singapore. However, it has been quite a whirlwind for the swimmer so far. What could be the issue?

Léon Marchand’s tumultuous stint at the Swimming World Cup

During the first leg in Shanghai, Léon Marchand stunned the crowds by winning 3 events back-to-back. Yet, in the fourth event, the Frenchman failed to clinch a gold or even the podium with his fourth-place finish. Even though things looked grim, he moved on to Incheon by snagging the top spot of the table – 58.3 points. But Noe Ponti is hot on his heels in second place with 115 points. With a nearly identical result in Korea, the swimmer revealed his plans after the competition. “After Singapore I will go back to Toulouse, France to train with my previous coach, and we will get back to work,” he confessed.

On the first day, the Olympian returned to contest in the 100m individual medley. In Shanghai, he claimed gold with just 0.1 seconds between himself and Noe Ponti. That wasn’t the case in Incheon. The atmosphere was electric as both pushed through to touch the wall first. As fate would have it, they both clocked 51.00 seconds and had to share the gold instead. Day 2 was far more grim. Fans looked forward to watching him contest in 2 events. Yet the wunderkind only contested in one. 

In the 100m freestyle prelims, Léon Marchand touched the wall in 47.46 seconds, 0.04-hundredths of a second off the final berth. As a result, the 22-year-old never contested in the finals. But he was back at it in the 200m individual medley finals. The Olympian shattered the French, European, and World Cup records in Shanghai. And with 1:50.30 on the clock, he snagged another gold in Incheon. He was also the only one to swim under 1:51 at the event.

The Frenchman silenced all the naysayers with an impressive 3:58.30 in the 400m individual medley. And with this, he still sits atop the table with 116.4 points. However, the swimmer believes that there is one reason for the inconsistency. “I took a long time off from swimming after the Olympics, probably about six weeks. I am not really fit I would say, but I feel fine in the water.” On the other hand, he has bagged quite a few golds, so it’s not that bad. But this wasn’t the only time the 22-year-old revealed the cracks in the foundation. 

The Olympian pulled the curtains back on a recurring issue

Léon Marchand’s unbeatable streak at the París La Défense Arena was magical. At the Shanghai leg of the World Cup, many hoped he would continue that momentum by contesting in 4 events only. In the first three events, he effortlessly bagged gold. However, things fell apart when the 200m breaststroke event rolled around.

When asked what his thoughts were in a post-race event, the 22-year-old didn’t hold back. “My legs were cooked, they were dead,” he exclaimed. Returning to the pool after a six-week break is no easy feat, and Olympian reiterated that. “This is the longest race I have swum since Paris. I forgot how much the 400m IM hurts.” 

Even though Léon Marchand missed the podium in the 200m breaststroke event, he snagged gold in the 400m individual medley just like in Paris. But the swimmer wasn’t satisfied and admitted that he could’ve done things differently. “I think I went out too hard on my fly segment,” the 22-year-old added. 

While he didn’t get enough rest between his events on day 3 in Shanghai, France’s Golden Boy believed another factor could’ve had a hand in the loss. “I mean, this afternoon was a little hard for me because I was very tired from this whole week of jet lag, travel, and all that stuff,” he confessed. The swimmer now has one last leg to look forward to in Singapore. Will he be able to hold on to his spot at the top, or will Noe Ponti snag an upset win instead?