Exciting rivalries, record-smashing performances, and surprising podium-worthy results. Does that sound familiar to you? The 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup added a lot more flair to the international swimming circuit, and Léon Marchand kept his incredible streak from the French capital going. The best of the best from around the world locked horns in the intense competition held from mid-October to early November.

The 3-week event took place in Shanghai, Incheon, and Singapore. Not only did the swimmers push their boundaries, but they also rewrote history with their incredible performances in the pool. This was France’s Golden Boy’s first time at the meet, and he ensured that the Marchand Mania stayed as strong as ever. While he walked away with 5 medals and 4 Olympic records in the French capital, how did he fare on his debut?

Léon Marchand crowned as the king of the pool

Step aside, Poseidon. The Frenchman is coming for your throne! On Saturday, Léon Marchand surged to the finish in the 400m IM, clinching his third triple crown with 3:58.45 on the clock. In a post-race interview, the swimmer opened up about his experience during his final race of the meet. “It was good. It was a really good place. A little bit too much on the fly,” the 22-year-old told World Aquatics. Leave it to the prodigy to nitpick his technique after a massive win. 

What could he have done differently, you ask? We will let the Olympian answer that for you. “I was trying to keep my legs on the backstroke and then push the rest because this is my main thing,” he added. He clinched his maiden Olympic gold and Olympic record at the Paris La Défense Arena and replicated that magic at the Shanghai and Incheon stops during the World Cup. Does he feel the same about every event he contested during the meet?

“I don’t think the freestyle would have been better, but it was a good race,” he admitted. The Olympian hadn’t swam in the event during the first two stops. He touched the wall at 1:40.91 in Singapore, which was good enough for a silver medal. All in all, it was an incredible debut for France’s Golden Boy. “I wanted to be a bit faster on the 400m IM but the 200m free was really good. So I’m happy with it.” However, Léon Marchand’s journey throughout the World Cup hasn’t been all smooth sailing. What went down in the pool? 

The 22-year-old came across several bumps on his path to the top

For the Olympian, Singapore was magical for more than one reason. On day 2, he bagged his second Triple Crown of the meet with a World record-breaking time of 1:48.88 in the 200m IM. Whose record did the swimmer shatter, you ask? The 22-year-old knocked off three-quarters of a second from Ryan Lochte’s World Record of 1:49.63, set in 2012. After crushing the third-oldest male SCM World Record in the history books, the Frenchman claimed 175.7 points in the World Cup. 

However, throughout the competition, Léon Marchand had been neck-to-neck with Noè Ponti on the leaderboard. The Swiss trailed behind him with 171.9 points after his World Record-breaking performance of 21.50s in the 50m butterfly, also earning a Triple Crown in the event. While the Olympian had a good run in Singapore and bagged the #1 spot early on, Ponti was hot on his heels, inching closer as they moved on to Singapore. 

What made the difference, you ask? On day 1 of the Incheon stop, the swimmers locked horns for the second time in the 100m IM. While they had a .01 gap during the Shangai stop, they touched the wall in 51.00 seconds. While there’s nothing wrong with sharing gold, the 22-year-old had already made up his mind. “After Singapore, I will go back to Toulouse, France, to train with my previous coach, and we will get back to work,” he admitted. 

But there was more lurking under the surface. After a thrilling escapade in the French capital, Léon Marchand decided to take a well-deserved break from the pool. Even after spending approximately six weeks away, he was happy with his performance. Yet, the fatigue caught up with him in Shanghai. The travel, competing, and training got far more intense because of jet lag. However, now that the World Cup has concluded, maybe the swimmer can kick his legs up momentarily before he heads into the 2025 NCAA Season.