Léon Marchand is a French swimmer who broke Michael Phelps’ previous world record in the long course 400 metre individual medley in July 2023.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Léon Marchand was born on Friday, 17 May 2002 (age 21 years; as of 2023) in Toulouse, France. His zodiac sign is Taurus. While growing up in a family of swimmers in Toulouse, France, Marchand soon developed an interest in the sport and decided to become a professional swimmer. He later moved to the United States, where he pursued a degree in computer science at Arizona State University while training under Robert “Bob” Bowman. [1]Teller Report
Physical Appearance
[2]Arizona State University News Height: 6′ 2″
[3]Arizona State University News Weight: 77 Kg
Eye Colour: Pool Blue [4]Le Monde
Hair Colour: Dark Ash Blond
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 42″, Waist: 34″, Biceps: 14″
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, Xavier Marchand, is a former swimmer who competed in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics for France.
Léon Marchand (left) with his father, Xavier Marchand
Marchand’s mother, éline Bonnet, is also a former swimmer who works at Air France; she participated in the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona. [5]La Dépêche
Léon Marchand’s mother, Céline Bonnet
Marchand has a younger brother named Oscar.
Léon Marchand with his brother Oscar (right)
Wife
Léon Marchand is unmarried.
Other Relatives
His uncle Christophe Marchand is a former freestyle swimmer.
Léon Marchand’s uncle Christophe Marchand
Career
Junior Championships
In April 2019, he was declared the winner in the 200m butterfly at a French junior championship held in Rennes. At the European Championships held in Kazan, Russia, in July 2019, Marchand won two bronze medals, one in the 200-meter breaststroke and another in the 400-meter medley. [6]La Dépêche In August 2019, at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, after winning bronze in the 400 metre individual medley, Marchand set a new French record in the 400 metre individual medley with a time of 4:16.37. He got a ticket for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after he set a French record with a time of 4:09.65 in the 400 metre individual medley at the 2021 French Elite Swimming Championships in Chartres.
Olympics
Although he could not win any medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, he finished sixth in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:11.16, placed tenth in the 4×100-meter medley relay, attained 14th position in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:55.68, and finished 18th in the 200-meter individual medley, clocking in at 1:58.30.
Léon Marchand at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Trained under Bowman at ASU
To sharpen his swimming skills, Léon decided to join Arizona State University in the United States, where he was trained under Robert “Bob” Bowman, who is famous for coaching Michael Phelps, while simultaneously pursuing a computer science degree. In an interview, Léon Marchand recalled the initial weeks at ASU and called those days challenging as he had to learn a new language and take care of himself. He said,
In class, I had to listen a lot just to understand. Every day I was going to bed at like 5 p.m. because I was dead. But it got better. Now, I can do everything myself, which is a great thing.”
Léon Marchand says he chose to swim at ASU so he could train under Bob Bowman (left), who had coached Michael Phelps
In an interview, while praising Marchand’s skills, Bowman said that watching him in practice brought him a similar feeling when he used to train Michael Phelps. According to Bowman, Marchand’s dedication level is almost similar to Michael Phelps’. Bowman says,
They’re very different personality-wise, but the way they approach the actual racing and the training is very similar. They’re very consistent on a day-to-day basis, and at a consistently high level in training every day.”
According to Bowman, during a practice session, when he challenged Marchand to see how fast he could swim, Marchand asked about Phelps’ best time, which was 4 minutes and 23 seconds, and then he broke that record. Bowman recalls,
So Léon (does) 4:18, and I know nobody’s doing that. And then he swam it at a meet two weeks later, and it was like the fifth-fastest one ever. So, he’s pretty good at mentally comparing himself to Michael.”
Marchand once described his feelings about being compared with Phelps and said,
Sometimes Bob tells me that Michael would have achieved such and such a time. Obviously, I compare myself but it’s not the best thing to do. But it does motivate me. I’m curious to know things like that.” [7]Olympics
Collegiate Career – NCAA Events
In his freshman season at the North Carolina State Invite, Marchand set a new school record in the 200 fly, 200 and 400 IM, and the 800 free relay. [8]The State Press At the 2022 NCAA Division I Championships in Atlanta, USA, Léon Marchand won his first individual NCAA title victory in his freshman year, competing for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He was declared the winner in the 200-yard individual medley, setting new records for the NCAA, NCAA Championships, and US Open with a time of 1:37.69 and marking the best performance of his college career. [9]The State Press After this win, he said,
It was pretty amazing. I didn’t know I would be that fast. I was just ready for the NCAAs and the adaptation to shock.”
In the same championship, Marchand broke the record of Caeleb Dressel, a five-time Tokyo 2020 gold medallist. According to Marchand, he watched Caeleb Dressel’s videos of the NCAA finals following which he started considering him his idol, and he later went on to break Dressel’s record. After breaking the record, Dressel congratulated him. Marchand says,
Four years ago, my dad showed me videos of the NCAA finals. I was watching Dressel and saying to myself, this is incredible, his laps are crazy. Two years later he won loads of golds at Tokyo 2020. The guy was my idol, I didn’t even think about possibly beating his record. He congratulated me and was very happy his record had been beaten.” [10]Olympics
LÉON MARCHAND WINS THE 200 IM AT 1:37.69, THE FASTEST TIME IN NCAA HISTORY!!! pic.twitter.com/vlT0HOohwr
— Sun Devil Swim/Dive (@ASUSwimDive) March 24, 2022
At the 2022 Pro Swim Series at Northside Swim Center in San Antonio, USA, Marchand set a new French record in the 200-meter individual medley, clocking in at 1:56.95; he won silver in the event. [11]France 24 In January 2023, during a head-to-head competition against the California Golden Bears, Marchand set new NCAA and US Open records in the 400-yard individual medley, clocking in at 3:31.84. [12]Swimming World During the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Championships, Marchand’s contributions in points significantly aided the Arizona State Sun Devils in their first-ever team Pac-12 Conference Championships title win. [13]Arizona State Sun Devils In March 2023, his achievements played a crucial role in the Arizona State Sun Devils men’s swim program to get its first top-five finish at a men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships. [14]Arizona State Sun Devils At the 2023 NCAA Championships, he won the NCAA title in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:36.34; this was his second title win in a row.
French Championships
At the TYR Pro Swim Series in April 2023, he was declared the winner of the 400-meter individual medley, finishing in 4:07.80, the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:55.58, the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:10.52, and the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 1:55.69. [15]Omega Timing He won gold in the 200 metre breaststroke at the 2023 French Elite Swimming Championships in Rennes. [16]France Televisions
World Aquatics Championships
At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, he set a new European record and Championships record in the 400-meter individual medley with a 4:04.28; he won gold in the event. [17]Omega Timing After he won another gold in the 200-meter individual medley, he became the third French swimmer to attain two gold medals in individual events at a single FINA World Aquatics Championships after Laure Manaudou and Florent Manaudou who achieved the same feat earlier. [18]L’Internaute In the same championship, Marchand broke his father’s record in the 200m IM.
After 24years I finally beat my dad❤️🤪#loveYouPapounia pic.twitter.com/DpSEAdBw6O
— ⚜️Léon⚜️ (@leon_marchand) June 24, 2022
At the 2022 Spanish Summer Championships held in Sabadell, Spain, Marchand recorded a time of 2:08.76 in the 200 metre breaststroke, setting a new French record. [19]Royal Spanish Swimming Federation
Broke Michael Phelps’ record
At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, he was declared the winner of the men’s 400m individual medley (IM) with a time of 4:02.50, breaking Michael Phelps’ longstanding individual world record set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by 1.34 seconds. Michael Phelps awarded Marchand the gold medal during the victory ceremony. Marchand called this achievement amazing. He said,
This was insane, one of the most painful things I’ve done. It was amazing to do it here and the time is crazy. It’s excellent, I train everyay for that. I’m two seconds faster than my previous record, I beat the world record, it’s amazing… I don’t know what to say, I’m so happy.” [20]CNN
Michael Phelps presented Marchand with the gold medal at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan
Medals
Gold
- In 200 yd individual medley at the 2022 NCAA Championships
- In 200 yd breaststroke at the 2022 NCAA Championships
- In 400 m individual medley at the 2022 World Championships
- In 200 m individual medley at the 2022 World Championships
- In 200 m medley at the 2022 World Championships (LC), Budapest
- In 400 m medley at the 2022 World Championships (LC), Budapest
- In 200 m butterfly at the 2023 World Championships (LC), Fukuoka
- In 200 m medley at the 2023 World Championships (LC), Fukuoka
- In 400 m medley at the 2023 World Championships (LC), Fukuoka
Léon Marchand with his medals
Silver
- In 200 m butterfly at the 2022 World Championships
- In 4×100 yd freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Championships
- In 400 yd individual medley at the 2022 NCAA Championships
- In 200 m butterfly at the World Championships (LC), Budapest
Bronze
- In 400 m individual medley at the 2019 World Junior Championships
- In 400 m medley at the 2019 European Junior Championships, Kazan
- In 200 m breaststroke at the 2019 European Junior Championships, Kazan
- In 400 m medley at the 2019 World Junior Championships, Budapest
Awards
- Swimmer of the Meet, Pac-12 Conference Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Pac-12 Conference in 2023
- Swimmer of the Year (Men’s) by College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) in 2022
- Swammy Award, NCAA Freshman of the Year (Men’s) by Swim Swam in 2022
- Swammy Award, NCAA Swimmer of the Meet (Men’s) by Swim Swam in 2022
- Freshman of the Year (Men’s) award at Pac-12 Conference in 2021-2022
- Swimmer of the Year (Men’s) award at Pac-12 Conference in 2021-2022
Facts/Trivia
- After breaking Michael Phelps’ 400m individual medley record at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan, the Japanese started calling him “Shin-Kaibutsu,” which literally means “the new monster” in English. [21]Le Monde
- Initially, Léon wasn’t interested in sports or competitiveness, and a potential career in athletics wasn’t something he considered. It wasn’t until he was in the 6th grade that he first found an interest in swimming. Marchand says,
At the beginning, I just did swimming because I had to do a sport.” [22]The State Press
- When Marchand was seven years old, he quit swimming after he found that the water was too cold. In an interview, he talked about this and said,
I was like, really skinny and the pool was just awful. So, I quit swimming for two years.”
- After he quit swimming, he tried his hand at other sports like rugby; however, he didn’t excel in those, and by the age of nine, he resumed swimming.
- In Toulouse, France, Marchand initially received training under Nicolas Castel, a swimming coach for Les Dauphins du TOEC, a swimming sports club in Toulouse.
Léon Marchand with his trainer Nicolas Castel (right)
- According to Marchand, it never bothered him when he was compared with the other top swimmers who were taller and more muscular than him. He says,
I’m trying to show how you can work with your own body. You don’t have to be very big or very tall to swim fast or do your own thing. I just want to show that when you’re different you can (succeed).”
- Marchand wishes he could get his private pilot’s license as he wants to fly over the Grand Canyon. In an interview, he talked about his interest in flying airplanes and said that while in France, he applied to get his pilot’s license, and after moving to the United States, he continued pursuing the same. He said,
I’m trying to finish my pilot’s license. I started in France but I didn’t have time to do it. I told myself that I was going to finish it in the US. I would like to have my private pilot’s license. In addition to Arizona, c “is great because you can go see the Grand Canyon, it’s an hour by plane. So it’s really the dream!” [23]Teller Report
References
