{"id":499049,"date":"2022-03-06T13:59:18","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T20:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=499049"},"modified":"2022-03-06T13:59:18","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T20:59:18","slug":"asus-leon-marchand-is-wielding-a-dangerous-pitchfork-ahead-of-ncaa-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/asus-leon-marchand-is-wielding-a-dangerous-pitchfork-ahead-of-ncaa-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"ASU’s Leon Marchand Is Wielding a Dangerous Pitchfork Ahead of NCAA Championships"},"content":{"rendered":"

ASU’s Leon Marchand Is Wielding a Dangerous Pitchfork Ahead of NCAA Championships<\/strong><\/p>\n

A little less than two years ago, Leon Marchand<\/strong> took to social media and flashed the Forks Up sign while wearing an Arizona State<\/a> t-shirt. Even without reading Marchand\u2019s words on Instagram, the message was clear: The young Frenchman was committing to the Sun Devils and putting his future training in the hands of ASU coach Bob Bowman<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

While Marchand enjoyed a strong regular season, his performances at last week\u2019s Pac-12 Conference Championships confirmed his status as one of the world\u2019s rising stars. Sure, some individuals will argue his efforts over the weekend are lost on much of the world, due to their short-course yards nature, but talent is talent, and the 19-year-old possesses considerable ability.<\/p>\n

As the Sun Devils finished third in the team standings, marking their best showing in 27 years, Marchand walked away from the meet with a trio of individual titles, which led to Swimmer of the Meet accolades, and as a member of the triumphant 800 freestyle relay. With the tandem of Grant House<\/strong> and Marchand, Bowman features one of the country\u2019s premier tandems, and a squad on the rise.<\/p>\n

“I couldn’t be prouder of our guys,\u201d Bowman said. \u201cThey are fully invested in our system and culture and we are just beginning to see what they can do. Congrats to L\u00e9on for his Swimmer of the Meet honor and to our 400 free relay for posting the fifth-fastest time in history. We are now fully focused on preparations for the NCAA Championships in 17 days.”<\/p>\n

Marchand has long been a known factor in the sport, jumpstarted by his bronze medal in the 400 individual medley at the 2019 World Junior Championships. His prowess in the 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly has also been known, and the youngster put his skill set on full display at the Pac-12 Champs. Consider these accomplishments:<\/p>\n