There’s a lot going on with Leon Marchand at the moment. Clinching a record four gold medals in the Paris Olympics, the Frenchman equaled the record of Michael Phelps for winning four gold in a single Olympic. However, this was not all. Marchand also bagged a fifth Olympic medal, a bronze, that he got in the 4x100m medley relay. Touted as the next Phelps, Marchand has been making ripples in the swimming fraternity in recent times. And a lot of his success has a definitive Phelps connection. 

While Marchand was always a talented campaigner of the chlorine-soaked waters, he blossomed under Bob Bowman. Yes, the legendary coach who helped Michael Phelps transcend from the level of a swimming icon to that of an immortal. Coming under the guidance of Bowman since his college days, Marchand has been blooming with every passing day. Now, with his eyes fixated on the World Cup scheduled for late October, Marchand has a challenge on hand. He will be without his mentor, Bowman. But that doesn’t seem to stop the rising star from channeling his inner champion and striving towards his goal with purpose. 

Leon Marchand working hard for the World Cups

Leon Marchand is not satisfied with just winning Olympic medals. In fact, he wants to conquer the entirety of the swimming accolades up for grabs during his time as a professional. After a stellar show in Paris, Marchand’s next stop will be Shanghai. The World Cup this year comes in with a lot of perks other than just the medals. There will be a total of 10 events, and athletes are free to take part in any number of categories. With a winner’s prize of $12000 for each category, Marchand will surely fancy his chances. Add to that an additional $100,000 to the top-ranked swimmer of the World Cup. With so much financial caveat on the line, there is a heavy possibility of ‘Marchand-Mania’ going wild in Asia.

Unfortunately for Marchand, replicating similar success without Bowman might be of some challenge. Especially when Marchand and Bowman have been inseparable since the last nine seasons at the ASU Sun Devils. In a recent announcement, Bowman left ASU to take up the mantle of being the head coach of the Texas Longhorns. As a result, Marchand will be working alongside Nicolas Castel until the end of 2024. 

And much like a true champion, all these outside factors do not seem to bother Marchand much. Speaking exclusively with Clique TV, Marchand detailed his plans for succeeding in the World Cup. He said, “I’ve already been working on for weeks in fact I have the World Cups at the end of October so it’s in Asia by the way it’s Shanghai Incheon and Singapore and I need to swim before that otherwise it’s going to be very complicated.” Marchand also seemed excited about traveling to Shanghai and exploring “cool activities” while meeting a lot of people. 

Surely, such a mindset of constantly improving even after conquering innumerable accolades remains a testament to Marchand’s greatness. And once again, a lot of this mentality has been passed on to the champion swimmer by his coach, Bob Bowman. Despite obliterating his competition in Paris, Marchand will be trying some new events and a few finetuning in his techniques here and there at the World Cup.

Interestingly, this was an observation that was passed on by Bowman’s eagle eyes. Commenting on his star pupil, Bowman mentioned, “I think you’ll see in the World Cups that he’ll play with different events and see what happens… I think he’s definitely going to look at not just doing the 400 IM full go this year.” Luckily for the Frenchman, he will be joining forces with Bowman again in 2025, when Marchand is expected to move to Texas. Thus, it is quite evident that an integral part of Leon Marchand’s continued development in the future will depend on his association with Bob Bowman. Surprisingly, it all happened in the most unconventional manner. And when it did happen, Leon Marchand felt the pangs of separation very dearly. 

Marchand takes the plunge, leaving home and family to chase greatness with Bob Bowman

Beginning the quest under the able mentorship of Bowman wasn’t a smooth journey for Leon Marchand. Born to parents who were Olympians themselves, it was an obvious step for Leon to step into the pool at a pretty tender age. However, the early days of his swimming journey were marked by challenges as he was bullied and body-shamed. While he decided to quit the sport he was born to shine in, his swimmer parents made sure to make Marchand aware of his true potential. 

But after an initial phase of achieving success, Leon was struggling to truly unlock his actual potential. That was when he decided to take a bold step without giving a thought if his wish would turn into reality. It was then that he reached out to the kingmaker, Bob Bowman.

Overcoming all the second thoughts, Leon decided to reach out to Bowman. With a skeptical mind, Marchand sent the email. But little did he know that luck was waiting to favor him that night. In less than a few minutes, Leon Marchand received a reply from the legendary coach. While his dream was taking the lane of reality, there were other roadblocks that Leon had to overcome. Although Bob said ‘Yes’, Leon had to leave his homeland and his parents to train under the coach in the US. 

Leon Marchand’s bond with his father Xavier was something he kept very close to his heart. And leaving him back in France to pursue his career put him in one of the toughest phases of his life. But Leon finally overcame those feelings to answer the call of the gold medals. He stepped into the ‘Land of Liberty’ and prepared for the ultimate glory under the guidance of Bowman. The rest is history!