“Leon Meur-chand!” » Like most of his compatriots, the IU Natatorium speaker does not master all the subtleties of French phonetics. However, it is not for lack of having repeated the surname of the tricolor prodigy before his races - and especially after his victories - during the NCAA finals which took place this week in Indiana.
But whatever the pronunciation, the five-time world champion, 21 years old, exiled for two and a half years in Arizona, is on everyone's lips in the US swimming world. Léon Marchand, these are “the United States of Homeric”. Each of his aquatic outings arouses thrills when it doesn't shake the scoreboard. With their 22.86 m (25 yards), the pools across the Atlantic have, for two years, been far too small for him.
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