Leon Marchand made a significant impact at the Paris Games by clinching four gold medals—an achievement previously accomplished only by renowned swimmers like Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz. His remarkable victories in the 200m and 400m individual medleys, along with the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke events, left spectators in awe, marveling at the potential of this talented 22-year-old from Toulouse. His success is largely due to his strong partnership with coach Bob Bowman, who has been guiding him since he joined Arizona State in 2021.

Currently, Leon Marchand, a French swimmer, is preparing for the World Short Course Championships in December 2024 in Budapest, Hungary, training in Toulouse, France, with coach Nicholas Castel. Although he wishes to reunite with Bowman who is an American coach, the distance between France and the U.S. complicates matters, as he had previously trained with Bowman in the U.S. leading up to the Olympics.

In a recent appearance on the YouTube channel “Clique TV,” titled “Leon Marchand: le grand débrief des JO – CANAL+,” he shared insights about his competitive experience. “Every weekend we will do competitions a little by team against another university,” Marchand revealed. “The mentality is so different; we get used to it very quickly because everyone is like that. Everyone wants to win. Even if it’s the slowest series of the competition, the guy who is going to win will go up on the line and celebrate as if he had won the final. It’s a really American thing, and we are not afraid to say that we want to win.” Here Leon Marchand is really pointing out the competitive spirit that’s so common in American sports culture.

Leon observes that in the U.S., there’s a strong emphasis on winning, regardless of the competition’s size. He notes that while French athletes are competitive, the level of excitement and celebration for even minor successes isn’t quite the same. By sharing this, Marchand highlights how different countries have unique approaches to competition and how they celebrate achievements. And it all started with one email!

The life-altering impact of Leon Marchand’s email to Bob Bowman

Leon Marchand’s incredible journey in swimming began with a simple yet bold email he sent to Bob Bowman shortly after Bowman took the coaching job at Arizona State University. In the email, Leon introduced himself as, an 18-year-old French swimmer eager to join the Sun Devils and compete in the NCAA. “Dear sir, I am a French swimmer, my name is Leon Marchand. I would like to join the university of Arizona State in summer 2021 for swim and compete in NCAA with your amazing team,” he wrote. Despite never having heard of Leon, Bowman recognized the surname and realized he was related to Xavier Marchand, a two-time French Olympic swimmer. Intrigued, Bowman conducted some research and, after a series of impressive Skype calls, offered Leon a full scholarship to join his team.

Their partnership flourished in Tempe, where Marchand quickly made a name for himself, winning 10 NCAA titles in just three seasons and helping the Sun Devils secure their first-ever NCAA team title. Leaving his home country of France to train under Bowman, Marchand fully committed to his craft, even following Bowman to Austin when he transitioned to the University of Texas

Bowman’s decision to join the French coaching staff as an assistant raised eyebrows, given his long-standing association with American swimming. However, it allowed him to work closely with Marchand in the lead-up to the home Olympics. This unique arrangement merged American and French swimming cultures, fostering a competitive environment in which Marchand thrived.

After achieving historic victories of Leon Marchand, including dethroning reigning Olympic champions in the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke within 90 minutes, he expressed gratitude for Bowman’s guidance. “We shared amazing moments here,” Marchand said. “We’ve been working really hard over the last three years. I don’t know how to do the next part of my career without him.” With an eye on the future, Marchand and Bowman are looking forward to the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics, where Marchand is expected to shine even brighter, and he aims to expand his repertoire to include even more events.