In the Duna Arena, only one swimmer had the honor of holding a press conference on Saturday evening.
"The hero of the day", explained the organizers.
Gold medal around his neck on a large platform, Léon Marchand, 20, still has a little trouble taking the measure of his enormous performance...
How did you feel when you touched the edge of the pool in your head?
LEON MARCHAND
.
I knew I was in front but I didn't expect to achieve 4′04′'28
(only Phelps did better than him, in 2008, in 4′03′'84)
.
Here, I touch in front and I see the little light that says that I am first.
It's really huge, a feeling of phew, I still do not realize what I have done.
But I liked it and that's the main thing.
What do you think is the craziest?
Everything is crazy!
It's more of an overview that comes into my head.
I've been working hard for this for five years and now it's coming true.
Mentally, I improved a lot, physically too.
It was still a world final, I was in line 4
(the one assigned to the best time in the heats)
and I managed to manage the stress well and free myself properly.
I'm learning a lot and I'm excited for what's next.
🏊♂️ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:
PERTH 1998 - XAVIER MARCHAND🥈
BUDAPEST 2022 - LÉON MARCHAND🥇#FINABudapest2022 #Swimming pic.twitter.com/DaQv0Xr9yL
— MR.CARTER (@NelsonCarterJr) June 18, 2022
How did you manage the day after your morning French record (4′09′'09)?
I tried to think of something else.
It's still swimming, you have to stay a little apart, otherwise I'll put my head like a watermelon.
(Smiles.)
Besides, I had the best time, so it's not easy.
But now I can handle it better.
I was happy to be in this position, it allows me to really enjoy the moment.
On arrival, I put five seconds on my morning time.
I fish a little in front crawl to get the record, but next time it might do it.
What is the Bowman effect?
Bob creates an environment for me, every day in training, which allows me to work very hard and at the same time improve.
For me, all training is interesting.
I don't do lengths for lengths and I feel like I'm much more efficient at what I do.
As the competitions approach, he brings me a lot of serenity, he has a very precise plan, he adapts according to my fatigue, my desires, it's perfect.
What does this title represent when his mother, his father and his uncle bathed in the 4 medley?
It means a lot, because my mother and my father have always given me a lot of advice.
Afterwards, it's another era, so in terms of time, it's not the same thing.
The 400m medley is a good bit of swimming and I think that today I know how to do a bit of everything.
I'm swimming in 4′04, the second time in history, I'm happy because they came to see me with part of my family, it's cool.