Léon Marchand spends four hours a day in the water with nothing to listen to but himself.
He has learned to like it.
The four-time Olympic Games Paris 2024 champion gave a long interview to L’Équipe, published Tuesday (1 September), covering his passions, his personality and what actually goes through his head during a swimming session.
Boredom came up early.
“I’ve eaten in restaurants alone, I’ve been to the cinema alone, I’ve done activities alone. I’ve never had a problem with that,” Marchand told L’Équipe. “I’m comfortable that way, and when I’m alone I recharge. I’m not someone who takes energy from other people. I need that solitude.
“That’s boredom. It’s really important to be bored. When you manage to stay properly with yourself while being bored, I find that’s a powerful thing, and that’s when you really think. In my sport we’re more or less forced into it. We don’t talk. Two hours of training in the morning, two hours in the evening, on your own. Luckily I get on well with what’s going on up there! Otherwise it’s very complicated.”
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/swimming-leon-marchand-bob-bowman-philosophy
