Léon Marchand convincing in the 400m final at the Tyr Pro Swim Series

In the golden light of the setting sun and just after a magnificent 400m won by Katie Ledecky ahead of Summer McIntosh (in 3:56.81, a new US record, against 3:58.28 for the Canadian), Léon Marchand entered the fray for his second race of the day. Sixth in the morning heats in 3:52.77 , the four-time gold medalist from the Paris Olympics was competing in the A final of the 400m freestyle at the Tyr Pro Swim Series, in Fort Lauderdale. The Frenchman was cheered during his presentation, as he stepped onto cone 7. The swimmer started with the same timing as in the morning, fluctuating between second and third position, before accelerating from the 200m. He finally finished 3rd, in 3:48.97.

" I got a bit caught out in the third 100 meters because I saw that Bobby Finke (Olympic 1500m champion in Paris) was making a small breakaway," Marchand analyzed after the race, as night fell. "I tried to follow him to try to hang on and in the end I didn't manage to finish strong enough in the last 25 meters. I really didn't have any legs left. I think I need to be a bit more patient when it comes to starting to get my legs going. "

Ahead of Marchand, Tokyo Olympic 400m bronze medalist Kieran Smith won in 3:47.04, ahead of 19-year-old Ryan Erisman, who finished second in 3:48.57. Finke ultimately finished fourth in 3:49.01.

There are obviously many lessons to be learned for someone who had not swum this distance since January 25, 2020, when he was not yet 18 years old (4'04''65). The time, which places him 9th among the best French performers in history (Yannick Agnel's French record is 3'43''85), and with which he would have finished 3rd in the final of the French Championships, did not satisfy the ambitious swimmer: " At world level, I can't do anything with 3'48, but it's my second 400 crawl, so it's enough for me for the moment. "

At least he beat the family record, that of his uncle, Christophe Marchand, former French record holder with 3'52''12 in 1990: " Finally, I beat my uncle in the 400 crawl! It's cool, I'm going to be able to tease him! It's a race I really enjoy and tonight I managed to express myself a little better than this morning. "

" It wasn't easy at all, I knew it, I was ready for it. I think I discovered several ways to swim fast in the 400 crawl tonight ," he added.

On Friday, Bob Bowman's protégé ticked off the 200m freestyle (heat at 9:52 a.m., 3:52 p.m. in France) and will return to his comfort zone with the 400m medley, for which he is the world record holder and where he won the first of his five Olympic medals (heat at 12:36 p.m., 6:52 p.m. French time).