Intriguing Program Awaits Leon Marchand at Sole World Cup Stop
The entry lists for this week’s Carmel stop of the World Aquatics World Cup show Leon Marchand in seven events. Whether the four-time Olympic champion contests every discipline will be determined by the Frenchman and his coach, Bob Bowman. But even if Marchand pares down his schedule, his presence accounts for a can’t-miss opportunity for fans of the sport.
In his last significant competition, Marchand left the World Championships in Singapore with a pair of gold medals, as he collected his third career world titles in the 200-meter individual medley and 400 IM. The highlight of the week was a world record of 1:52.69 in the 200 medley, an effort that sliced more than a second off the longstanding 2011 global standard of Ryan Lochte.
Marchand has only committed to the first stop of the World Cup tour, so it’s worth rearranging the upcoming schedule to get a glimpse of the future Hall of Famer. And while we don’t know what type of form Marchand will bring to the Hoosier State for his return to World Cup action, his historical short-course prowess speaks for itself.
The 23-year-old heads to Carmel with entries in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 IM and 200 IM. What Marchand can do in the two middle-distance freestyles might be the most intriguing storyline of his meet. While those events have not appeared on his major international program, he excelled in their equivalents while racing in NCAA competition for Arizona State University.
Marchand sits at No. 2 in the history of the 200-yard freestyle, thanks to a swim of 1:28.97, and he owns the fastest mark of all-time in the 500-yard freestyle. The 4:02.31 that Marchand uncorked at the 2024 NCAA Championships is more than two seconds quicker than the second-fastest time, a 4:04.45 from American Rex Maurer. With that background, it will be enticing to see what he can deliver in the short-course meters format.
For reference, Marchand is 19th all-time in the 200 freestyle (short course), off the 1:40.91 he produced at last year’s World Cup. As for the 400 freestyle, World Aquatics does not list a career best, which means a new entry to the all-time list could be a few days away.
Whatever Marchand opts to race in Indiana, it will be worth the watch. Such is how things work with generational athletes.
