“I got chills all over my body” - Leon Marchand recalls ‘crazy’ memory of being cheered on by 15,000 people during home Paris Olympics

Leon Marchand this week recalled a "crazy" memory from the 2024 Paris Olympics. He described being cheered on by 15,000 people at the Paris La Défense Arena during the quadrennial Games.

Marchand said being cheered by 15,000 people gave him chills in his body because as a swimmer he wasn’t used to this kind of cheering. The French Olympic champion said (via World Aquatics),

“Well, I was prepared for it. I knew it was going to be loud. I knew people were waiting for me to do something. That was part of my mental preparation. I got really like a memory uh which was crazy. My first swim, the 4 IM in heats. I got out on the pool deck and I don't know, like 15,000 people were just screaming, "Leon!" and I was like, ‘Wow!" I got like chills all over my body. It was insane” (5:18 ).

He further said,

“As a swimmer, we never get that. I was shocked by it and I was really nervous the first day, actually. But, I was also enjoying it, you know, I was opening my eyes trying to see what was happening, listening to... because yeah the crowd was going crazy. It was unique. I will never live this again. So, I was trying to enjoy as much as possible and I was grateful.”

At the Paris Olympics, Leon Marchand had a record-breaking campaign, winning five medals. He won four individual golds, in the 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 200m medley, and 400m medley, and a bronze in the 4x100m medley relay.

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When Leon Marchand weighed in on the role he would like to play to inspire younger generation

Leon Marchand at Paris Olympics 2024 (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Leon Marchand expressed his thoughts on the role he would want to play in guiding the public and inspiring the younger generation. Speaking shortly before the 400m medley heats, Marchard spoke about the role, saying (via The Week )

“The first thing I notice is the extent to which people listen to great sportsmen and women, respecting their voice and their experience. Phelps spent four years of his life when, mentally, it was very difficult. I’m also thinking of the gymnast Simone Biles, who is also very vocal on the subject. Who else can we listen to but them?”

He emphasized how he wanted to play a similar role by addressing important topics like mental health to inspire the younger generation of athletes.

Notably, Marchand last competed at the 2024 Swimming World Cup where he emerged as the most successful male athlete, pocketing $174,000 during the three-leg competition. He skipped the Short Course World Championships this year, owing to exhaustion.