Leon Marchand Entered in Six Events for French Championships (Entry Lists)
The French Elite Championships are scheduled to begin on Saturday, June 27 and run through Thursday, July 2, with the meet in Saint-Etienne serving as the selection competition for this summer’s European Championships in Paris. The onvious headliner is Leon Marchand, the four-time Olympic champion and world-record holder in the 200-meter individual medley and the 400 individual medley.
Marchand is entered in six events, highlighted by the four disciplines in which he was crowned Olympic champion on home soil at the 2024 Games in Paris. In addition to his entries in the 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 200 IM and 400 IM, Marchand is included on the psych sheets in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle. Whether the 24-year-old contests all four events in which he is entered remains to be seen.
While Marchand is the highest-profile athlete in the French arsenal, all three backstroke events will feature Yohann Ndoye-Brouard as the No. 1 seed. At last summer’s World Championships in Singapore, Ndoye-Brouard was the bronze medalist in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. The shorter distance produced a national record of 51.92.
Missing from the meet will be Maxime Grousset, the reigning world champion in the 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly. Grousset recently suffered a fracture left foot.
On the women’s side, Beryl Gastaldello is the top seed in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle while Marie Wattel figures to be a factor in the 50 freestyle, 50 butterfly and 100 fly.
