Exclusive Interview with 🇫🇷 Leon Marchand - 2024 Swimmer of the Year 🏆

I was so pumped when I was finding out you were coming on the World Cups. How's it been so far? We're at Stop 3. It has been really fun, that's what I was hoping for. I think the main thing was to meet those athletes outside of the pool. Like we said, when we were at the Olympics, you stayed in the French team, you don't really see Americans, you don't see foreigners from the entire world. And also just travelling, racing overseas, I think that's awesome. I think it's kind of rare in swimming, so I was really excited to do it. It's been really good. It's really intense. I got really tired after China. You have basically three days to adapt to the new country, new people, new culture and all that. The food too. And then you have to race, so it's really quick. You discover a lot of stuff in a short period of time. I was able to visit, to enjoy everything around me. Those athletes too, and I think it was really good. And then you get back to your racing stuff. But yeah, I've never done that before. I think I'll do it again for sure. We get some athletes that are really strong short course, really strong long course. You do both. What do you prefer? I like short course better. It hurts less. I like short course hurdles better, actually. I've done three years of NCAA in the US, and I was really focusing on my underwaters, my technique, my turns, and I think that's what really got me better in the sport. I really like short course. I think it's more fun to watch too. I think people can understand more what's happening. And yeah, I think it's also more like a sprint, I would say. Even like the 4AM, I think it's definitely easier than long course. The pain is more intense in long course. But it's also a different pain, I would say, more on the legs when you swim short course, more on the waters, I mean, all that. I like both. I think it's just more fun short course. Is that something that sort of helps you when you come back to short course meters? Yeah, I mean I'm so grateful for the US experience. In general, because I learned a new language, I met new people, new culture, new classes, new coach. Pretty good one, actually. I learned so much in the US. I learned how to win, how to lose. And of course this passion for short pools, I guess. And NCAA was awesome for me. I was able to race every weekend, do a dual meet, be in the team, learn the team spirit too. That's something we don't really have in France. And I was able to study and swim at the same time, which is really rare in the world. So yeah, it was awesome. As a college student, we have basically from Monday to Saturday, it's full. You don't have really that much time to go out, to meet new people. You focus on your swimming, you focus on your homework, your exams. So you basically have Saturday afternoon free, but you're dead from practice. And then you have Sunday, but you also have to rest. So we don't have that much time. But when I was there, I would play video games, watch Netflix shows. I don't know, go to a restaurant with my friends. I heard you went in Shanghai to some secret, while we were on the World Cup, some secret video game place. It's not a secret place. But that's kind of funny, actually. But the first night I got to Shanghai, the pool was closed. So I went to swim in the swimming pool of the hotel. And there was this lifeguard there that recognized me. So we took a picture and all that. I swam, and then the night there, I was like, let's go out. I'm going to eat a dinner, right? And this guy just gave me a lot of advices. He invited me to go to a nice dinner. And after that, we were talking about games and all that stuff. And he told me, do you want to come with me? We're going to an internet cafe, Cyber Coffee. So you go there, you rent a PC, and you play with your friends, right? So I was like, I've never done that before. Let's do it. And I couldn't sleep, too, because of the jet lag. So I was like, all right, I'll do this. I was a local for a day, so it was really nice. I love that. What games did you like? That night I played League of Legends. I played a little bit when I was young. I really like solo games. Because I'm really bad when I play online. I'm not really good. Like, first-person shooters, I'm not good enough. I wish I was good. But yeah, I used to play a lot. Last of Us. Red Dead Redemption, too? Yes. I love it. I like Assassin's Creed, too. I used to play a lot. Hobbies, interests, what do you like that has nothing to do with swimming? From the very beginning, from when I was very young, I really liked astrophysics. Astronomy and space. In the recent years, I found out I could actually maybe work into this topic. So I would love to do that later. I also really like music. I do some mixing. I really like house music, so I'm really into this, too. I have all kinds of passions that make me relax about swimming, too, and make me do something else. I think we're coming up to a point where you getting to go to space is not far in the near future. I know, I know. Would you be first-hand up? Yeah, that would be awesome. I don't know, but I would love to wake up in the morning, go to a company where I work on this, and be the happiest guy in the world. I would love to see that. Leon Marshall, Olympic champion and astronaut. Maybe not in space, but yeah. What was that feeling like, that experience, walking out in a home crowd with a crowd like that? Well, I was prepared for it. I knew it was going to be loud. I knew people were waiting for me to do something. That was part of my mental preparation. I got really a memory, which was crazy. My first swim, before I am in heat, I got out on the pool deck and 15,000 people were screaming Leon. I was like, wow. I got chills all over my body. It was insane. As a swimmer, we never get that. I was shocked by it. I was really nervous the first day, actually. But I was also enjoying it. I was opening my eyes, trying to see what was happening, listening too, because the crowd was going crazy. It was unique. I will never live this again. I was trying to enjoy it as much as possible. I was grateful for all that. For me, it was your two breasts. Every time you came up and the crowd was like, could you hear that while you were racing? Yes, I could hear that. I could hear that on the 4M also. Could you? Yes. I remember I didn't have to really force it. I was just getting pushed by the crowd. I had so much energy coming from all over the place. It was awesome to see that. How much has your life changed from that moment? From the closing of the Paris Olympic Games to where we are now, what has it been like? Well, it's been very different. It's been very different. I would say I didn't really realize during the week. I was really focused on my thing, trying to go step by step. I had a lot of races, so I was trying to really rest at night, don't think about all that, just trying to race as fast as possible. The big thing was the day after, so the 10th day, I think. We did that thing in France called the Club France, where you have to meet everybody, but in front of the crowd. So you go through a lot of people and all that stuff, and that was insane. That was insane, because there were thousands and thousands of people just screaming my name, just being fans. I've never seen that before. So that was the first step. The second week was a lot of realization, like, OK, I've got to know what happened. Yeah, that was really weird. And then I came back to Toulouse, and then basically since the Olympics, I've never met a French guy that didn't watch the Olympics. It's actually insane. So when I was in Spain, when I was in Greece, I was fine. People don't ask for photos and stuff, but in France, it's actually crazy. But it's super nice, because people are saying thank you, congrats. They were super nice to me. We're proud of you. Yeah, I know. That's why it's awesome. It's a bit different from before. Did you ever think that this is where your journey was going to take you? You know, it's actually crazy. When I walked out on the pool deck the first day, I thought about it. I was like, what would my young self would do? I was a super shy person, really introverted. So it would be super hard for me to express myself in front of all the country, basically. The country was watching. So I've made some progress, I think. Yeah, of course, I've been always dreaming of being an Olympic champion. But I never realised I could do it in my country. So that's why it's awesome. That was the perfect year to peak, I guess. And I've done it. It's so cool. I love it. But I'm thankful for all the people that helped me, because I'm not alone in this. You're alone in the lane, but behind me, there are so many people. Is this making you excited for what's to come in 2025? Yeah, I love this place. It's really hot. So we'll have to adapt a little bit. But yeah, I love it. People are super nice, super chill, and this city is a little crazy. I've never seen it before. I'm excited for next year. I'll try to do some different events, maybe. Maybe not just IM. I would love to do some freestyle races, but I'll have to train first. I would love to see that, though. Totally shock everyone. Dominate them all. Can I talk about a swimmer or not? Whoever you want, it's your inspiration. I would say Caleb Dressel, for me. He was the first guy to show us how underwaters are made. After Michael, for sure. But Caleb Dressel was the guy who was the fastest in the water. That's a big inspiration for me. But the main thing was the way he talked about his mental health, his depression. This guy won, I think, three golds in Tokyo, even more, I realized. For individuals. And he said he wasn't happy. And that, to me, was like, wow. Maybe if I win, I won't be happy. Maybe I want to lose, but I want to be happy. Whatever it takes. And he really talked about it. And he was the first guy to really open this in media. He talked to swimmers about it. And he really helped me. I think he helped a lot of people, including me. He was the first guy to say, all right, let's take some break. Even if you don't want to, take a break. Take some time off swimming and go back. Because it's such a hard sport. It's so hard to enjoy the process. I mean, the outcomes are really fun to enjoy. Paris was really fun for me. Where we live and practice every day, it's so hard. You also really need breaks. And I think Caleb was kind of the first guy to talk about it. So he really helped me.