Leon Marchand entered the Paris Olympic Games as a promising contender, but he emerged as a dazzling swimming icon. While the homegrown hero was certainly France’s top hope for an Olympic medal, no one could have predicted the deluge of gold and shattered records he would unleash. Winning four out of six events, Marchand seemed unstoppable, as if he were on a relentless hunt every time he stepped into the pool. To call him the newest favorite now feels like a monumental understatement.

Marchand’s meteoric rise has catapulted him into the stratosphere of swimming stardom. It’s not every day that an athlete outshines the legendary Michael Phelps‘ records. Despite his newfound fame, Marchand’s family has always strived to shield him from the glare of the spotlight. But can they truly keep him away from the tidal wave of adulation that now surrounds him?

As the cheers of Paris fade, his name is set to ripple through the annals of Olympic history, forever etched as the sensation who took the world by storm.

Is Leon Marchand’s family’s plan in jeopardy given the storm of his fans?

The magnitude of stardom that Marchand is experiencing now is perhaps more than anything he ever felt. But even before, it seems his family had always abided by the basics of living a grounded life. As per the New York Times, his parents had said that Marchand’s growing popularity over the last year had even scared them at times. “We try as hard as we can to protect him and keep him sane. Live like a normal family, in fact,” Xavier and Céline, his parents informed via email.

Well, his father Xavier is an Olympian himself and his mother is a former world record holder. Thus, they are not new to the world of Olympic fame. However, the ‘Marchand’ fever is probably something they have never experienced before. And so is it for Marchand. Across his season so far, he has won 4 titles at the French Championships, and let’s not to forget his Worlds 2023 stint in Fukoka, where he broke Phelps’ 2008 record.

But having chosen the Olympic stage for his marvel has now made him a national star. To the extent that one of the motorways in his country has a quirky signboard flashing his name. On one of the A4 motorways in France, the administration flashed a road safety sign that said, “The priority is safety. Speed is for Leon.” Well if this is not a testament to the uproar his performances have caused, then what is?

However, this now poses a tall challenge in front of his family. Leading a normal life, after such extraordinary merits now seems out of bounds for this national sensation. And with fame comes the burden of expectations that he will be expected to live up to. But, what did he do that set off fireworks in the La Defense Arena this week?

Marchand’s records that staged him in the spotlight

Imagine entering the waters in front of the great Michael Phelps and besting his long-established record. Now that ought to create a buzz. And it certainly did. Securing the 200m Individual medley title in 1:54.06, the Toulousain finished his final lap earlier than Phelp’s 1:54.23. And there, he was the new Olympic record holder.

But earlier, Leon Marchand had started with the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke races, being especially confident in the former. Amidst the cheers of ‘La Marseillaise’ he mentioned, “The 200m butterfly was crazy. I had a really good race strategy. I managed to stay fairly close to the favorite and really caught him…with the pool on fire. It was pretty crazy to experience that as a French swimmer.” He not only bagged gold but did so in new Olympic record times.

Well, make that four as he also set a new Olympic record in the 400m Individual Medley. And the combined tally of 4 golds at Paris, eventually slated him in elite company. He became the first French athlete to touch this milestone at a single Olympics and now joined Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz, the American veterans who experienced this.  Do you think he is the next big thing in global swimming? Let us know below.