Léon Marchand returns to French pools with 4:04.56 400m IM, the fifth-fastest time in history

Return to French pools

For the first time since his four-gold Olympic campaign in Paris 2024, Léon Marchand competed on home soil at the French Championships in Saint-Étienne on 27 June. The Toulouse native drew a capacity crowd at the Raymond-Sommet pool, donning local club ASSE colours on his cap and goggles.

Dominant swim

Marchand clocked 4 minutes 4.56 seconds in the 400m individual medley, the fastest time in the world this year and the fifth-quickest in history. His morning heat had already produced a convincing 4:11.90, but the final was another level. That mark eclipsed the time he swam to win the world title in Singapore in 2025 (4:04.73) and put him comfortably under the 4:15.05 qualifying standard for August’s European Championships in Paris.

It reassures me because I haven't felt good for months. It's the first time I've sharpened up a little.

A barometer before the European championships

His coach Nicolas Castel, who guided him in his early career and is overseeing him this week, noted room for improvement. Marchand's first butterfly turn was slightly mistimed and he crashed into the wall at the 100-metre mark, Castel observed. Still, the swimmer himself was surprised by the result: he had expected to break 4:08, so 4:04 was a welcome bonus.

Even though it's a race he knows well and has mastered, he can still make mistakes.

Marchand trains at the University of Texas in Austin and plans a training block in Marseille before the Europeans, which run from 10 to 16 August in Saint-Denis, Paris. He is entered in six events at the championships but may not contest all of them.

Key times