French Star Leon Marchand Replicating Olympic Schedule at Fort Lauderdale Open
When Leon Marchand competes at next weekend’s Fort Lauderdale Open, the French superstar will embrace the identical schedule that delighted home fans at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. At the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, Marchand will contest the 200-meter butterfly, 200 breaststroke, 200 individual medley and 400 individual. He is the world-record holder in each of the medley events.
This four-event program led Marchand to a quartet of gold medals at the last Olympic Games, where La Defense Arena erupted in cheers as the home fans celebrated an iconic performance from one of their own. Marchand won the 200 butterfly in 1:51.21 and added the 200 breaststroke title in a European record of 2:05.85. He claimed the 200 IM in 1:54.06 and won the 400 IM in 4:02.95. All four races produced Olympic records.
This summer, the 23-year-old Marchand is targeting the European Championships in Paris and while he recently indicated that his schedule is not locked in for the continental meet, he will take aim at his world record in the 400 IM. That standard sits at 4:02.50, registered at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka.