Leon Marchand Slated to Compete in Carmel Stop of World Cup Tour
France’s Leon Marchand has been confirmed by World Aquatics for the first stop of next month’s World Cup series in North America. In a social media post earlier this week, World Aquatics indicated that Marchand, a four-time gold medalist at last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, will compete in Carmel, Indiana. That leg of the three-stop World Cup circuit will unfold from October 10-12.
Marchand is expected to race only at the Carmel stop, which will be followed by action in Westmont, Illinois (October 17-19) and Toronto (October 23-25). Last year, Marchand was crowned the overall World Cup champion after competing in all three legs during the tour’s swing through Asia.
In short-course competition, Marchand owns the world record in the 200-meter individual medley. In Singapore last year, the French superstar clocked a time of 1:48.88. He followed that global standard by breaking the world record in the long-course version at the 2025 World Championships, also held in Singapore. That record sits at 1:52.69.
As Marchand looks ahead on the road to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the 2026 campaign will have a different look, due to the lack of a global championship. Instead of one meeting point for the world, there will be a handful of regional championships on the schedule, including the European Championships, Pan Pacific Championships and Commonwealth Games.
