European Swimming Championships: Léon Marchand Wins 200m Butterfly Heat with Energy Conservation

Olympic champion Léon Marchand made a successful individual return to the pool at the Saint-Denis Aquatic Centre, winning his 200m butterfly heat with a controlled performance. After a strong showing in the 4x200m freestyle relay, where he became the sixth-fastest swimmer in history, Marchand admitted he was eager to start his individual events.

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It was long, very long, to wait. At first, I thought: 'This is great, I have three days to recover.' But in the end, I started to get bored after a day and a half. So I was happy to finally get into the individual competition.

"It was long, very long, to wait," Marchand said after his race. "At first, I thought: 'This is great, I have three days to recover.' But in the end, I started to get bored after a day and a half. So I was happy to finally get into the individual competition."

Marchand, the favorite for the European title in the absence of his Hungarian rival Kristof Milak, clocked 1 minute 55.90 seconds in his heat, the fourth-best time overall. He focused on conserving energy, stating, "The goal was to win my heat. That's what I did, trying to expend as little energy as possible. And the time is correct. I'm controlling well, I'm keeping my form, that's good."

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The goal was to win my heat. That's what I did, trying to expend as little energy as possible. And the time is correct. I'm controlling well, I'm keeping my form, that's good.

Looking ahead to the semifinals and finals, Marchand remained coy about whether he would attempt to break the world record. "I'll tell you that after," he said with a smile when asked about his record aspirations.

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I'll tell you that after.