French swimming star Léon Marchand got off to a perfect start to the NCAA university finals by setting a new benchmark time in the 500-yard freestyle Thursday March 29 in Indianapolis in the United States.
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The Paris Olympics are approaching and Léon Marchand is in great shape. Four months before the big Olympic celebration (July 26 – August 11), Marchand won his first individual event, the 500-yard freestyle (457 m, short course) in 4 min 02 sec 31, greatly improving his own NCAA record (4:06.18).
At 21, thethree-time world champion last summer in Fukuoka (Japan), nicknamed “The new Michael Phelps” in the USA, competed in the NCAA Finals for Arizona State University (ASU), where he studied and trained with Bob Bowman, former mentor of Michael Phelps, the man with 23 Olympic gold medals. Leon Marchand had already helped ASU take second place in the 4 x 50 yard medley and 4 x 200 yard relays on Wednesday. The world record holder in the 400m medley must now compete in the 400-yard medley this Friday, then the 200-yard breaststroke.
Expected to be one of the big stars of the Paris Games
Léon Marchand has been living in the United States for two and a half years and the finals of the American university swimming championship (NCAA) are a team competition that is close to his heart. The Toulouse native is expected to be one of the big stars of the Paris Games, and he is developing his talents in Phoenix. As a student swimmer at Arizona State University, the five-time world champion splits his time between computer science studies, training and swimming competitions. The season, which started at the end of August, culminates in March with the NCAA finals.
“ The NCAA is the most important competition in the university circuit in the US. There is a lot of atmosphere, a lot of energy. It really helps the university which gains for reputation, for image, etc. It’s an incredible competition, it’s a lot of fun! », he explained during a video interview two weeks before the event. Enough to forget the difficulties encountered in November when health problems (fever, sinuses, cough, wisdom teeth) disrupted his preparation.
The NCAA competition takes place March 27-30 in Indianapolis. The finals take place every day from 6:00 p.m. local time (10:00 p.m. UT).