In His Words: Leon Marchand Reflects on Jaw-Dropping NCAA Champs (Videos)
To think Leon Marchand would have been anything less than extraordinary at last week’s NCAA Championships would have been naïve. After all, he starred at last year’s edition of the meet, and has established himself as one of the globe’s elite performers in the sport – a world champion and world-record holder.
In line with expectations, the Frenchman was indeed sensational at the NCAA Champs in Indianapolis, where he propelled Arizona State University to its first team championship. The Sun Devils registered a 79-point margin of victory over two-time defending champ Cal, and Marchand contributed individual wins in the 500 freestyle, 400 individual medley and 200 breaststroke.
The 500 freestyle and 200 breaststroke yielded NCAA records for Marchand, who figures to be one of the faces of this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. He also fueled a pair of triumphant relays, behind a 48.73 breaststroke split in the 400 medley relay and a 40.28 leadoff leg in the 400 freestyle relay.
Marchand was reflective during his various press conferences at the NCAA Championships, taking the time to speak about his individual performances and to discuss the meaningful nature of his team’s title run.
Here are several videos from the NCAA Championships in which Marchand breaks down his winning performances and Arizona State’s march toward championship status.