Léon Marchand withdraws from 200m and 400m medley at European Swimming Championships

Injury and withdrawal

Léon Marchand will not compete in the 200m and 400m individual medley at the European Swimming Championships in Saint-Denis, the French Swimming Federation (FFN) announced on Saturday, August 8. The championships, which run from Monday, August 10 through Sunday, August 16, were the primary goal of the 24-year-old's season. The four-time Olympic champion has been managing an injury to his right adductor sustained during the 200m breaststroke heats at the French championships on June 30 in Saint-Etienne, which forced him to withdraw from the rest of that competition. He suffered a further setback during a training session in Marseille three weeks later. The pectineus muscle, essential for breaststroke, remains affected, and the injury had cast doubt for long weeks over his participation in the European championships.

Team doctor Sébastien Le Garrec said the healing was progressing well but that competing in the medley events carried a risk of recurrence.

The injury is healing well, and recovery is largely complete. However, since competing in the 200m and 400m individual medley carries a non-negligible risk of recurrence, and to safeguard the remainder of the competition, the decision was made not to enter these races.

Remaining program

Marchand had already ruled out the 200m breaststroke, which places heavy strain on the adductor muscles. He remains entered individually in the 200m butterfly and the 400m freestyle, two events that place less demand on the injured muscles and where he can still aim for high placings. He may also participate in one or two relays with the French team, potentially including the 4x200m freestyle relay as early as Monday. The FFN confirmed that the rest of his program remains unchanged, though no details had yet emerged regarding his participation in relays.

The 400m individual medley series would have been the first event of the championships, scheduled for Monday morning. Marchand had expressed concern about competing on the opening day during a press briefing in early August.

It's the first day so I'm a bit afraid of re-injuring the adductor, and that my week would be over.

Public schedule and ambitions

Spectators at the Centre Aquatique du Grand Paris will not see Marchand, the darling of the French public, compete before Friday, when his 200m butterfly series are scheduled. He is also entered for the 400m freestyle on Sunday, the final day of the championships. For the Parisian public, the reduced schedule is slim but better than nothing. The withdrawal from his two signature events is a setback for the swimmer, who told reporters in April that he wanted to break his own world record in the 400m individual medley this season.

It's something I want to do in the near future, and I imagine doing it in Paris at the European championships would be great.

Marchand confirmed his participation in the championships earlier this month while acknowledging doubt about the 400m individual medley. He ultimately withdrew from the shorter 200m medley distance as well, as a precautionary measure. The decision had been widely expected after he signaled his doubts at the early August press briefing.