Injured Léon Marchand withdraws from two events at European Aquatics Championships

French swimming star Léon Marchand will significantly reduce his participation at the upcoming European Aquatics Championships in Paris due to a persistent adductor injury. The talented swimmer has officially withdrawn from the 200m and 400m individual medley events, which were scheduled early in the competition.

Marchand sustained the injury to his right thigh adductor during the French Championships in late June. While his recovery is progressing favorably, the medical team deemed that competing in the medleys would carry a non-negligible risk of recurrence. "The evolution (of the injury) is favorable and the healing is largely acquired. However, competing in the 200m and 400m individual medleys presents a non-zero risk of relapse, and to preserve the rest of the competition, the choice was made not to enter these races," explained Sébastien Le Garrec, the French team's doctor.

“

The evolution (of the injury) is favorable and the healing is largely acquired. However, competing in the 200m and 400m individual medleys presents a non-zero risk of relapse, and to preserve the rest of the competition, the choice was made not to enter these races.

This decision marks a setback for Marchand, who had hoped to build on his strong performance at the French Championships, where he achieved the fifth-fastest time in history in the 400m individual medley. He also intended to use the European Championships as a benchmark for the 2027 World Championships in Hungary and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Despite the withdrawal from two key events, Marchand is still slated to compete in the 400m freestyle, a new challenge for him, and the 200m butterfly. He expressed a pragmatic view on the timing of the injury: "I prefer it to happen now rather than in two years, just before the Olympics. I think if I come out of it with my head held high and manage to enhance my training with more warm-ups, more things that will strengthen my adductors, it will be rather beneficial."

“

I prefer it to happen now rather than in two years, just before the Olympics. I think if I come out of it with my head held high and manage to enhance my training with more warm-ups, more things that will strengthen my adductors, it will be rather beneficial.