How Leon Marchand Approaches the Mental Side of Swimming

With just a few months remaining until the Paris Olympics this summer, French world record holder Leon Marchand shared insights into how he approaches the cerebral side of swimming with his mental coach, Thomas Sammut.

Marchand returned from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 feeling disappointed as a 19-year-old without a medal to show for his 6th-place effort in the 400 IM (4:11.16), which was more than a second slower than his lifetime best from French Trials. He credits Sammut for freeing himself from his fear of failure before big races. Sammut had previously worked with elite French swimmers such as 2012 Olympic champion Florent Manaudou and three-time world champion Camille Lacourt.

“The first thing I worked on with my mental coach was managing my stress and nervousness before competitions because when I was really nervous, I couldn’t swim well at all,” said Marchand, who recently turned pro after leading the Arizona State men to their first-ever NCAA title last month. “So I’ve been working on that, trying to be as relaxed as possible before and during competitions.”

Marchand said his experience in Tokyo taught him the importance of recovery during major meets. He’ll have to manage his energy across nine days in Paris this July, with four events potentially on his lineup (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 butterfly, and maybe 200 breaststroke).

It can be a challenge to get enough sleep during the Olympics given the stakes of the competition. Marchand has been practicing a technique where he breathes only through his nose for a few minutes to calm himself down and fall asleep. He also uses breathing techniques while on the blocks before his races.

“I close my eyes and think about my swim, my race and a few words that make me feel better,” Marchand said. “It really helps me manage my energy for the competition.

Marchand’s preparation includes projecting positive thoughts, but he doesn’t really visualize — he likes to keep that part “a bit of a surprise.”

“I don’t really tell myself anything before, I just want to swim as fast as I can,” he added. “Sometimes I don’t feel well, but I still manage well in the water. So I’m trying to lie to myself all the time: ‘Yes, I’m in good shape, I can do it.'”

Marchand is a naturally introverted person, so he’s still adjusting to the all the attention building around him ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer. However, he’s starting to warm up a little to the bright lights.

“I’m starting to enjoy it all: meeting people, signing autographs, doing things like that,” said Marchand, a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton. “The problem is that it takes up a lot of my energy, too. It’s not easy to manage it during the week of the Games. But obviously, I’m less shy than before because I’ve already been in the spotlight a bit more, so (for the Paris Olympics) it will be different.”