Léon Marchand: “He was fed up…”: far from media pressure, the star swimmer of the Paris Olympics is more fulfilled

Étouffé With the media attention he has received since his feats at the Paris Olympics this summer, Léon Marchand is going to set sail.

© bestimage Léon Marchand is fed up

IN BRIEF

• Léon Marchand, 22, won five medals at the Paris Olympics, including four gold, becoming a swimming legend in a few days.
• Éexhausted by media pressure and expectations, he gave up at the Budapest World Championships and plans to train in Australia to recharge his batteries.
• Discover how Léon Marchand deals with his newfound fame and the challenges that come with it in this captivating article.

It's the last straw for the star of the pools. Léon Marchand, 22, put stars in the eyes of the whole world this summer. ;eacute;, he who picked up no less than five medalsat the Paris Olympics, including four gold medals. With incredible speed, the man who seemed almost equipped with fins and gills when faced with his human opponents unleashed the crowds, both in the stands and behind the screens.

In the space of a few days, L&eacuteon Marchand became a young swimming legend, and this sudden fame was particularly violent for the young man who, before the Games of Paris, was not known to the general public. Became the media darling, he is then assailed by journalists looking for interviews and by producers who dream of seeing him on their TV sets. On the Web, all his deeds and gestures are deciphered and Léon Marchand is entitled to his first controversy by ignoring the request for an autograph from a young fan. The media whirlwind is launched.

“He is éexhausted”: Léon Marchand &agrave exhausted ? 

Physically tired, the swimmer is also mentally tired. If the latter returned to the pools in October for the Short Course World Cup (where he finished leader of the overall ranking), he gave up on the Budapest World Championships, scheduled for mid-December. “He did well. I can assure you that he is exhausted”, his coach explains to L'Equipe. “He swam very well during the World Cups, but he was fed up. Not just swimming, but all the attention on him, the expectations weighing on his éshoulders”. 

“Çit never stops”: the new complicated life of L&eacuteon Marchand

A situation that has pushed L&eacuteon Marchand to take off. Indeed, the latter will soon fly to Australia, where he should train for two or three months. “Besides, one of the reasons that justifies his departure for Australia is to be far from France, and even from Europe“, his coach specifies. For the coach, this distance is necessary, while the swimmer's daily life is completely turned upside down. 

“Au At first, it's nice, we encourage you, we congratulate you. But çit never stops, he won't be able to go to a restaurant without someone wanting to take a picture. (…) When Céline (his mother, editor's note) goes to the supermarket, she has to sign autographs. The hardest part is accepting these little things. He can't escape, confides Léon's coach Merchant. A well-deserved break!