Four-time Olympic gold medallist and French swimming sensation, Léon Marchand, continued his strong start to the 2026 season at the Fort Lauderdale Open. The French swimmer has captured the 400m IM on Friday, May 1.

Marchand prevailed in the 400m IM with the fourth-fastest timing in the world in 2026. He clocked 4:09.33 over the eight lengths. It was much faster than American swimmer Carson Foster, who was timed in 4:10.24. Even though Foster narrowed the gap between him and Marchand in the final stretch, the Frenchman became the winner.

The 23-year-old's victory in the 400m IM comes after winning four individual gold medals in the Paris Olympics.

He won the Olympic gold in the 400 IM two years ago in Paris. Marchand later added Olympic gold in the 200 butterfly at Paris, where he outdueled Hungary’s Kristof Milak, the reigning world-record holder and 2020 Olympic champion.

His world-record time of 4:02.50 still stands untouched, though Foster (4:06.56) and Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita (4:06.93) remain the nearest active threats. Matsushita captured silver in the 400 IM at the Paris Olympics, while Foster secured bronze.

On Friday, Marchand began with a butterfly split of 55.22 and continued increasing the gap with Foster in the backstroke split. He reached the halfway turn in 1:58.73, with Foster completing in 2:00.11. Foster closed the gap in the closing freestyle split as he finished in 58.62 in comparison to Marchand's 1:00.29.

The swim Marchand delivered at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center places him among elite company. Only 11 men have ever clocked a faster time, as reported by John Lohn, of Swimming World.

Léon Marchand Set to Return to France for European Championships

The Fort Lauderdale Open is more of a preparation event for Marchand. He is set to participate in the European Championships later this summer, which will be held near Paris in Saint-Denis.

In an interview in April with Radio France, Marchand opened up on his ambitions of returning to his homeland ahead of the continental competition.

“The idea is to beat my best times," Marchand shared about his goals. "The program isn’t finalized yet, but I know I’ll be doing the 400 IM on the first day. If I qualify, it would be a race where I’d like to break my record.”

Marchand lives in the USA, as he is committed to the Arizona State University. Although he lives miles away from France, he continues to be a fan-favorite for the local crowd.

As he prepares for the European Championships in Paris beginning July 31, Marchand has used the early part of the season to challenge himself in events outside his usual specialties.

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Written by

Atrayo Bhattacharya

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar