Olympics Mini Feature: Leon Marchand Could Be the Face of the Paris Games
Most Olympiads feature a Face of the Games. Think Jesse Owens (1936) and Mark Spitz (1972). They will forever be linked to Berlin and Munich. Consider Carl Lewis (1984) and Michael Phelps (2008). Their names are tied to Los Angeles and Beijing.
Leon Marchand certainly has the credentials to become the Face of this summer’s Games.
With Paris ready to serve as an Olympic host for the first time in a century, it is convenient that France can present Marchand to the world. The 22-year-old is likely to contest four individual events inside La Défense Arena—the 200 individual medley, 400 IM, 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke. And if Marchand stands on the podium in each of those disciplines, few will be surprised.
Since debuting at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Marchand has established himself as a superstar. A gold-medal double in the 200 IM and 400 IM at the 2022 World Championships elevated him to the sport’s top tier. But that appearance in Budapest was just the start, as Marchand dazzled the sport at the 2023 World Champs in Fukuoka.
Along with defending his titles in the medley events, Marchand—armed with stunning underwater skills—defeated the competition in the 200 butterfly. The 400 IM was his seminal moment, with the Frenchman clocking 4:02.50 to break Michael Phelps’ 14-year-old world record by more than a second. It was the last of Phelps’ global standards, and until Marchand emerged, many experts thought it might endure for a long time to come.
“He’s very good under water—better than anybody ever…by far,” said Coach Bob Bowman. “He has speed, and he has endurance, so he kind of has the whole package that you want. So far, he’s done well under pressure, which is the other piece of the equation. He has it all, really.”
Beyond similar programs, there is an additional connection between Phelps and Marchand. While Bowman started coaching Phelps before his teenage years, Bowman took the reins of Marchand’s career following the Tokyo Games, where Marchand was sixth in the 400 IM. They joined forces at Arizona State University and, together, embarked on a journey that led to numerous NCAA records and an NCAA team title this past spring.
For all Bowman has contributed to his pupil’s ascendance, it is critical to examine the lineage of Marchand. Both of his parents were Olympians in the pool for France, his father, Xavier, reaching the final of the 200 medley at the 1996 and 2000 Games and claiming a silver medal in the event at the 1998 World Championships. His mother, Céline (Bonnet), was a 1992 Olympian for France, competing in the 100 backstroke.
Marchand is the favorite in both medley events on home soil, heavily so in the 400 distance. The plan has always been to include a third event on his Olympic program, the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke serving as his options. However, the French Swimming Federation appealed for an Olympic scheduling change earlier this year, and now, those event finals will be held approximately two hours apart on Night 5 of the Games. The likelihood is that Marchand races both events and challenges for the podium in each.
Of course, an extra opportunity to see Marchand will be embraced by French fans, who are expected to fill the La Défense venue and cheer on their hero in his quest for Olympic excellence.
Marchand is ready to deliver.
“This is the year when I’m having the most fun,” Marchand said. “I have many different goals and challenges. I love that.
“The best is yet to come.”
