Week in Review: Leon Marchand Cites Need for Rest; Dressel Family Growing Quickly
The past week featured several headline-grabbing stories from the sport of swimming, highlighted by the news that France’s Leon Marchand will not compete at the upcoming World Short Course Championships. The four-time Olympic champion announced his withdrawal through social media, citing exhaustion and a whirlwind schedule since the Paris Games as the reasons for his decision.
Marchand is the latest big name to opt out of the Short Course Champs, joining the likes of Australian Kaylee McKeown and American Torri Huske. Marchand’s announcement was made with his health in mind, and his decision demonstrates the continuing positive trend of athletes recognizing a need for a break, especially mental rest.
Another newsworthy story from last week was the announcement that Caeleb Dressel and his wife, Meghan, will be adding another child to their growing family. The Dressels revealed that Meghan is pregnant, with a due date of June 2025. Caeleb and Meghan are already parents to son, August.
In the pool, the biggest stories were American-record performances from Texas’ Rex Maurer and Virginia’s Claire Curzan. Maurer set an American record of 4:04.45 while racing at the Texas Invitational while Curzan, in a tri-meet, established an American record of 1:46.87 in the 200 back. Maurer and Curzan are in their first years competing for their new schools following their transfers.