Leon Marchand Out of Individual Medley Events for European Championships
The European Championships are just two days from getting underway in Paris and big news was released on Saturday by the French Swimming Federation. In a press release, the FFN announced that Leon Marchand will not compete in the 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley, due to the right adductor injury that the Olympic champion suffered several weeks ago during the French Elite Championships.
Marchand is the reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder in both events, but the risk of re-injuring the muscle has called for the Frenchman to take a safe route toward the competition in the French capital. Marchand remains scheduled for the 400 freestyle and 200 butterfly, the latter where he is also the Olympic gold medalist from the 2024 Games in Paris.
“Leon Marchand’s muscle injury was reassessed by the medical team a few days before the start of the competition,” said Sebastien Le Garrec, the French Team Doctor, in a statement. “His recovery is progressing favorably, and healing has been achieved to a very large extent. However, competing in the 200m and 400m individual medley still carries a non-negligible risk of recurrence. In order to preserve the rest of his competition, the decision has therefore been made not to enter him in these events.”
After enduring the initial injury at the French Elite Championships, Marchand reaggravated the injury during training, forcing him to star the rehab process over. The adductor is a muscle found in the inner thigh and necessary for the breaststroke kick, obviously a major element in the individual medley. Prior to Saturday’s announcement, Marchand had already scrapped the 200 breaststroke from his program.
The 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle, Marchand’s remaining events, offer differing histories for the French star. While Marchand is the second-fastest performer of all-time in the 200 fly, the 400 freestyle has never been part of his schedule at a major international meet.
