Don't believe anyone who tells you Léon Marchand is taking it easy this year; it's just that he's had to cope with the reality of having a whole nation know they're spotted their Olympic hero when he pops out to get his baguette back home.

There's also this: in the coming eight days of racing here in Singapore, Marchand will not repeat his four-Olympic-gold program: he's dropped the 200m butterfly and breaststroke of his outstanding, electrifying double from Paris 2024, and will focus on the 200 and 400m medley, along with French relays.

Whether that will mean we see the World records in those events rattled by a Frenchman who owns one (400IM) and craves the other (Ryan Lochte, USA, 1:54.00, 200IM) remains to be seen. Certainly, Marchand has set his sights own the 200IM standard.

The event holds family history: his dad, Xavier, raced to silver for France in the 200m medley at the Perth 1998 Championships.

Marchand, 23, was giving little away. He didn't play down his will to do his best and, indeed, return to the top of both World medley podiums he last occupied a Fukuoka 2023, but he did say this was a "year of transition" that had included acclimatising to life as a quadruple Olympic champion.and most successful Frenchman in Games history, single Games and home Games.

Singapore 2025 would be "more like getting back into the game. I had a pretty good year of relaxing and getting back into it, but really taking my time."

He explained:

"I'm excited for the world championships. I want to be close to my personal bests in all my races and of course break world records in the next few years. I still have a lot to do in the swimming world."

The trouble has been life as a superstar. The attention heaped on him from the French public after his Paris 2024 had been "a lot to handle at first".

"It's been good and bad. I am getting used to it, I know how to handle it better, I know how to say no better. I get a lot more peace when I travel outside of France, for sure. I was able to train better and do my own thing like usual."

“I have to plan things. I can’t just go on my own in the city and just go get bread. I know how to say ‘no’ better. It gets a lot more peaceful when I travel out of France.”

That's a very small dot on a map full of reasons why Marchand is based with coach Bob Bowman, this season in Texas at the Longhorns, last season at the Sun devils in Arizona, where teammates called Marchand ... Baguette.

More on all of that after a gathering of French media with Marchand in Singapore today, with this visitor listening in... ahead of racing that includes this story that precedes another thread in the story of Bowman's stable:

Summer McIntosh’s High Five Of Solo World Targets The Next Pursuit Of Greatness

“World records are made to be broken. By the time I leave this sport, I want to make sure that record is as fast as possible. I’ve got to give my best effort to see how long it can stand.” - Summer McIntosh

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord