French swimming prodigy Leon Marchand and his Michael Phelps connection
Under the tutelage of Phelps' former coach, Marchand has broken Caleb Dressel's NCAA record, set national records, and beaten Olympic champions. Now he has his eye on gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Swimming
Two years out from the Paris 2024 Olympics, hosts France have unearthed a potential world beating swimmer in Leon Marchand.
The 19-year-old made aquatics headlines in March 2022, when he smashed Caeleb Dressel’s NCAA 200 individual medley short course record.
With the USA's triple Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo 2020 in 2021 looking on from the stands in Atlanta, Marchand stopped the clock in 1.37.69 to make history.
“This is just incredible,” the Arizona State freshman said after. “I had so much fun in this race. I knew I was in shape, but I didn’t know I’d go this fast.”
The story gained even more traction when USA Swimming GOAT Michael Phelps offered his congratulations to the French prodigy on his Instagram stories.
Discontent with just one NCAA title, Marchand then took out the men's 200m breaststroke title to underline his status as one of the most exciting young swimmers in the world.
Leon Marchand: Continuing a fine family legacy
To say that medley swimming was in Marchand’s DNA, would be a seismic understatement.
His father Xavier Marchand won 200m medley silver at the 1998 World Championships in Perth, Australia, before competing at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympics.
His mother Celine Bonnet was a backstroker and medley swimmer who took part in the Barcelona 1992 Games, while his uncle Christophe Marchand swam freestyle and medley at the Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Games.
“It would be difficult to escape this fate, even if my parents did not push me at all,” mused Leon in Tellerreport.
“I've always been in this industry. We like it, it's our passion, and we talk about it often."
But the youngster doesn’t feel any pressure to live up to such a rich swimming lineage.
“I think it makes it easier for me. They give me lots of advice and they share their experiences.” - Leon Marchand to Tellerreport on his parents' influence
Marchand realised that swimming could be his career in 2019 when he won 400 medley bronze at the the Junior World Championships in Budapest.
The coronavirus-enforced delay to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics allowed the prodigy to mature physically, before taking on the world’s best on the biggest stage of all in swimming.
Aged just 19, he made the 400 IM final where he placed sixth overall, while also qualifying for the 200 butterfly semi-finals.
Soon after that, enrolled at Arizona State University in the U.S. to train under Phelps’ former mentor Bob Bowman. As well as learning from one of the most legendary names in the sport, it would allow Marchand to keep testing himself against the best.
It was an inspired decision, and Marchand’s performances at the NCAA speak for themselves.
But there was still more to come.
A week after his NCAA heroics, the Frenchman broke his national 200 IM record at the Pro Swim Series in San Antonio, finishing second in 1.56.95.
Notably, he finished 0.15s ahead of reigning 400 IM Olympic champion Chase Kalisz, while another USA Olympian in Michael Andrew was over two seconds off his pace.
The only man to beat Marchand was another prodigiously talented youngster in USA’s Shaine Casas.
While Toulouse native Marchand has traditionally seen the longer IM event as his strongest, these recent performances may have forced him to reconsider which races to enter for the 2022 World Championships in June, and beyond that to Paris 2024.
Individual Medley the new blue riband event?
Every Olympic cycle sees different events rise to the forefront of people’s minds due the emergence of exciting talent.
Medley swimming is rarely known as the blue riband event due to its versatility, but that may be about to change.
Marchand, Kalisz, Andrew, and Casas are joined by the likes of Chinese reigning 200 IM Olympic champion Wang Shun, Great Britain’s Duncan Scott, and reigning world champion Seto Daiya of Japan in what is arguably one of the most competitive groups in years.
Marchand, however, won’t get caught up in the hype.
At 19, he still has years of development ahead of him. Because of that, he feels no need to rush the process.
“My objective is to become Olympic champion,'' he continued.
“Whether in Paris [2024], or Los Angeles [2028], that is the main long-term goal.”