He expressed surprise at his performance, admitting he felt fatigued and had not slept well before competing.

Despite his achievements, Marchand believes he still has room for improvement, particularly in pacing and technique.

Looking ahead, Marchand plans to compete in the next two stages of the World Cup in Incheon, South Korea, and Singapore, leading up to the World Championships.

Marchand enjoys competition and sets personal challenges to continue improving, even under less pressure.

As a quadruple Olympic champion, Marchand's recent performance has heightened excitement for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.

His winning time broke the previous French record of 4:06.85, held by Jérémy Stravius since 2012, by over six seconds.

These competitions serve as preparation for the upcoming World Championships in short course swimming, scheduled for December 10-15 in Budapest.

Léon Marchand won the final of the 400m individual medley at the World Cup in Shanghai on October 20, 2024, setting a new French record with a time of 4:00.03.

Despite his success, he finished just outside the podium in the 200m breaststroke final, achieving a time of 2:02.99, which still broke the previous French record.

Marchand resumed training only a month ago and had not competed in a 25m pool since 2019, making his achievements in Shanghai even more impressive.

Marchand faced tough competition but managed to outpace Italian swimmer Alberto Razzetti and New Zealander Lewis Clareburt, who finished with times of 4:01.51 and 4:05.03, respectively.

Earlier in the competition, Marchand had already secured victories in the 100m and 200m individual medley events, breaking French records for both distances and setting a European record in the 200m.