Paris 2024 Olympics: Leon Marchand: "Paris 2024 doesn’t overwhelm me, it will help me transcend"

Leon Marchand’s dominance in this Olympic cycle is undeniable, but the question is: can he handle the pressure of being a swimming favourite at the Olympic Games Paris 2024?

On the surface, he certainly can. During the rare media appearances the five-time world champion has given over the run-up to his home Games - of which he is the poster child - Marchand has come across as cool, calm, and focussed.

But the 22-year-old is also not in denial about the size of the opportunity that lies before him.

The 400m individual medley World Record holder could end France’s 12-year gold medal drought in the pool, and also become the first French swimmer to win multiple individual Olympic golds.

“When I returned to France, I was a bit stressed realising that the Olympics were less than a month away,” Marchand told Olympics.com at the France Swimming training camp in Vichy.

“But since I’ve been in training camp, I’ve been calm and serene. The event doesn’t overwhelm me; it will help me transcend. Bob [Bowman] and I have done the job for a year and a half, now is not the time to panic. We don’t overthink it.

“For me, it’s a driving force. Making history helps you learn about yourself and opens you up to others. Many French athletes, for example, are inspired by Florent Manaudou. It’s not my primary goal, but it comes with what I do in the water and the work I put in.”

Leon Marchand and coach Bob Bowman

It’s clear that Marchand is being well-managed, and that starts with Bob Bowman.

After beginning their partnership over Whatsapp during the Covid-19 lockdown, they finally met in person at Tokyo 2020, where Bowman served as a Team USA assistant coach and Marchand was a 19-year-old first-time Olympian who managed a best finish of sixth in the 400 medley.

The Arizona-based coach helped Michael Phelps become one of the greatest athletes in history, and therefore knows what it takes to help Marchand succeed both in and out of the pool.

But while Bowman was very directly involved with Phelps, he now promotes a philosophy of creating independent athletes who operate within his framework.

In April, Bowman was announced to be the head coach for France’s Olympic swimming team, and believes that athletes like Marchand will be better-equipped to adapt to any unforeseen changes that may occur.

“The last thing you want to do with a high-level swimmer is make them dependent on their coach,” Bowman told SwimSwam. “Leon is very good at knowing what he needs to do and how he needs to do it. We also have built in a system of routines that are basically automatic at this meet. All he needs to know is when his event starts and that lets him know when he’s going to warm up, when he’s going to put his suit on, when he’s going to go to the ready room, what to do after — he’s got a whole thing. He doesn’t really have to make a lot of decisions at the meet, and that’s by design, because the last thing you want to be doing at the Olympics is trying to figure that out. That just has to be part of your DNA at that point.”

In addition to Bowman, Marchand has brought mental coach Thomas Sammut into his team.

Faced with an intense media spotlight and booming popularity ahead of a home Games, the Frenchman wants to ensure that he is in prime condition both physically and mentally.

"I've been working with Thomas for two years, and he used to work with Florent Manaudou," marchand said. "I've made a lot of progress.

"This year, the main focus is Paris 2024, with managing the pressure, the media, the expectation of course, all the people around. It's pretty intense. I'm learning to deal with all that and I'm feeling better and better. I will be ready."

Some athletes fall into the trap of believing in their own hype, but not Marchand.

At the Worlds in 2023, he stormed to three world titles and beat Phelps' 15-year-old record in the 400 medley. But in the press conference after his final race, the Toulouse man’s focus was tellingly on where he could drop more time.

It was genuine, and would have sent a clear message to his rivals that there was plenty left to come.

"I think the races I did at Worlds weren't perfect," he said. "There were quite a few things where I thought I could improve and I did. I've really focused on the crawl over the last two months. I'm taking in more water, I'm trying to swim a little more continuously, my restarts are better, my turns too.”

Leon Marchand schedule at Paris 2024

Marchand will compete in four events at Paris 2024: the 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.

His key medley rivals include Carson Foster and 400 medley Olympic champion Chase Kalisz - both of Team USA - alongside Japanese veteran Seto Daiya.

The University of Texas man Foster won silver at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships behind Marchand, and set the fastest 400 medley time this year.

Marchand also has the opportunity to become the only swimmer to medal in a butterfly and breaststroke race at the same Olympics, a task made even tougher by scheduling as both finals take place on the same night.

“I’ve always struggled to choose between butterfly and breaststroke, I’ve always been good at both. At the Games, the schedule isn’t too bad for me. There’s an hour and a half between the two finals. It’s very tough, it’s a big challenge but I think I can do it. And it can help me transcend when I’m there,” Marchand said.

The converted La Defense Arena will surely be a sea of tricolour flags when swimming starts at the Games.

Showing another sign of his maturity, Marchand knows that he needs to embrace that advantage, rather than totally hide from the public in order to focus on himself.

“I want to use the energy the crowd gives me. It’s an advantage to be at home, in front of the whole of France. It would be a real shame to ignore it. I don’t often meet the public, so it’s cool to do so. I’ve had to adapt because that’s not how I am by nature. I’m not a person who is very comfortable with public appearances. I’ve been working on this for a year and a half and I’m handling it well.

“Before, I didn’t like showing myself too much. Today, I like it. I see it as a challenge. I want to make my own path and show that it’s possible. But it’s new for me. This is the first time I’ve arrived at the Olympics as a favourite, we’ll see how it goes but it’s exciting.”

There are fewer greater mental challenges than going into a home Olympic Games as a totally dominant athlete for the preceding Olympic cycle - Marchand could be just days away from sporting immortality in France.

But while the expectations of a nation weigh heavy, the message from the versatile prodigy is clear: challenge accepted.