Léon Marchand to swim at European Championships despite adductor injury, scratches 200m breaststroke and weighs 400m medley risk

Injury setback

The quadruple Olympic champion injured his right adductor at the French Championships in Saint-Étienne in late June, during the heats of the 200m breaststroke. About three weeks later, while attempting to reintroduce breaststroke at training, he re-injured the same muscle. Marchand described the setback bluntly: "I've struggled a bit, to be honest." The relapse forced him to restart his rehabilitation almost from scratch, and he has not yet resumed full breaststroke training.

Program in doubt

Marchand has already scratched the 200m breaststroke (heats scheduled for 12 August) and is undecided on the 400m individual medley, the opening event on 10 August. The breaststroke leg of the medley is the concern. "It's a bit uncertain because it's the first day. I'm a bit afraid of re-injuring my adductor and that my week would be over," he told reporters at a French team camp in Vichy. He called missing a race he had targeted this year "very frustrating" and will decide based on an MRI due mid-week and his own feel, setting a deadline of the eve of the race.

Resuming breaststroke

Marchand expects to reintroduce breaststroke in training on Monday 3 August, but he is anxious. "I'm really dreading it," he said, noting that during his re-injury he had no warning signals. He feels a repeat is possible and needs to trust that the adductor is strong enough. The MRI scan later in the week will guide that step.

Aims in other events

Despite the disruption, Marchand saw a silver lining: the injury forced him to concentrate on butterfly and crawl, strokes he admitted he had previously neglected. He remains entered in the 200m butterfly and the 400m freestyle, a new challenge. His target there is personal best times. "That was a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel, to tell myself I'll finally be able to swim crawl the way I want to," he said.

Deciding to compete

Marchand conceded he considered withdrawing from the championships multiple times. "There were plenty of moments where I hesitated. It's not easy to go when you're not at 100%," he said. The European Championships, held at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, will be his first major meet since the Paris 2024 Games.