Léon Marchand Is Your New Favorite French Swimmer

If you're looking for a new Olympic obsession, might we suggest French swimmer Léon Marchand? Not only has he broken several world records and snatched this year's gold medal for the 400m individual medley, but many are comparing him to a young Micheal Phelps. 

Born in Toulouse, France, in 2002, Marchand had a path set. His parents, Xavier Marchand and Céline Bonnet, were both professional swimmers who instilled a drive and passion in the young Léon. In August of 2019, at the age of 17, Marchand's career shot into motion when he won his first medal at the World Junior Swimming Championship in Budapest, Hungary. Marchand took home the bronze in the 400-meter individual medley and set a French record with a time of 4:16.37.

At the Atlanta NCAA Division I Championships in 2022, Marchand won his first individual title for the Arizona State Sun Devils, winning not only the event but setting new NCAA, NCAA Championships, and US Open records with his time of 1:37.69.He overtook Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel's 2018 time by almost a full second. It marked the first time since the year 2000 that Arizona State University won an individual title in swimming at an NCAA Division I championship.

Since his record-breaking run at the NCAA Division I Championships, Marchand has won five world championship gold medals, leading to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. This past week, Marchand won his first Olympic gold medal by swimming 4:02.95 during the individual medley program, breaking Michael Phelps’ Olympic record set 16 years ago in Beijing. Since his win and meteoric rise, many have compared the French swimmer to Phelps.

Recently, Phelps responded to these comparisons, telling commentator Pat McAfee, "I love it. I love being able to see a young man have a dream, go out there, put in the work!" Marchand also trained with Phelps's former coach, Bob Bowman, who helped Phelps achieve 28 Olympic medals.