Leon Marchand said he often needs to don a disguise to evade attention.© AFP
French Olympic swimming hero Leon Marchand said Wednesday his record-breaking exploits in the Paris pool have changed his life so much that he often needs to don a disguise to evade attention. The 22-year-old won all four of his individual races at the Games — the 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke and 200m-400m medley double. It thrust him into elite company as the first male swimmer to do so at a singles Games since American legend Michael Phelps in 2008. However, fame has its occasional downside.
“I’m going to lose a little freedom and spontaneity because I can’t go out to restaurants like I used to anymore,” Marchand said as Toulouse feted its new Olympic star.
“I need to organise myself a little more. I can’t do my shopping alone. I wear a cap and glasses. I try to hide a little.
“But when people do stop me in the street, it’s to say ‘thank you’. That’s kind and I take it to my heart.”
He added: “I have got used to it quite quickly even if the first weeks were difficult, because it’s a fairly radical change in status.”
Marchand said that the Paris Olympics, which were widely praised for their smooth organisation, had sparked a wave of optimism in the country.
“France has changed and I hope it will last,” said Marchand.
“Sport is something quite special. It conveys an emotion that you can’t have anywhere else and the French realised this. We must continue to celebrate athletes, try to put more resources into infrastructure, more sport in schools.”
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