Leon Marchand Pulls Out of US Open, Back Into Training After Illness (original) (raw)
Triple World Champion and 400 IM World Record holder Leon Marchand is withdrawing from this weekend’s US Open Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, his coach Bob Bowman confirmed to SwimSwam on Monday.
The move comes after an illness limited his competition at last weekend’s NC State Invitational.
“Just makes sense for now to get back into training and move forward from there,” Bowman said. “He’s doing well physically.”
A run at a record in the 500 yard free was undercut by Marchand’s absence on day one of the meet last week. He did swim prelims and finals of his best event, the 400 IM, finishing 3rd (behind teammates Hubert Kos and David Schlicht) in 3:38.61. He also swam the breaststroke leg of the 200 medley relay, splitting 23.51.
Marchand, a 21-year-old French native, is currently a junior at Arizona State. He won the 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM at the 2023 World Championships, repeating as winner in both IM events.
He is also the defending NCAA Champion in the 200 yard breaststroke, 200 yard IM, and 400 yard IM.
The US Open will run from Wednesday, November 29 through Saturday, December 2 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina. Marchand was scheduled to swim the 200 IM, 400 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast, and 200 back. He was the top seed in both IMs and the 200 breaststroke.
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Leon Marchand
About Braden Keith
Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …