The hero of the Paris Olympic Games Léon Marchand produced his first 400 m freestyle of very high level in 3 min 48 s 87, Thursday 1is May, in Fort Lauderdale, in Florida.
Engaged in the meeting pro Swim Series, near Miami, the Frenchman took third place in the final behind the Americans Kieran Smith (3 min 47 s 04), Olympic bronze medalist on the distance in 2021 in Tokyo, and the young Ryan Erisman (3 min 48 s 57). Léon Marchand had made a time of 3 min 52 s 77 in the morning in series.
The quadruple Olympic champion (200 m breaststroke, butterfly and four swimming, 400 m four swimming), 22 years old, was without surprise twice in the day an old personal record (4 min 04 s 65 in 2020), for his first competition for a little more than four months. But he remained at a distance from the French record, which has belonged since 2011 to Yannick Agnel (3 min 43 s 85).
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Back in Austin (Texas), under the orders of Bob Bowman, after spending three months at the start of the year in Australia with renowned coach Dean Boxall, Léon Marchand decided to test himself in Crawl, a swim that could become his next challenge at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
After being hit in a shoulder at the end of December 2024, he had a fatigue fracture at a coast in Australia this winter.
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Léon Marchand is one of the big names of swimming engaged in the Floridian competition, disputed from Wednesday to Saturday, where he still has to swim the 200 m freestyle, 200 m breaststroke, 200 and 400 m four swimming.
Katie Ledecky wins in women
Thursday, the American star of the Katie Ledecky basins again caused a sensation, after having succeeded, on Wednesday, the second best time in history over 1,500 m.
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The nonuple Olympic champion won the 400 m freestyle in 3 m 56 s 81, ahead of the Canadian Olympic vice-champion in the Summer McIntosh discipline (3 min 58 s 28), establishing the seventh best time in history, its fastest second after its 3 m 56 s 46 at the Rio Games in 2016.
Katie Ledecky had won bronze on a 400 m freestyle in Paris (4 min 00 s 86), preceded by McIntosh and the Australian Ariarne Titmus.
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