Bob Bowman seems to have the Midas touch in the swimming world. The world knows him best for coaching the most decorated swimmer in history, Michael Phelps. The legendary swimmer went on to compete in five Olympic games and accumulated a whopping 28 medals throughout his illustrious career. But now that Phelps has bid adieu to the Olympic pool for good, Bowman has a new star pupil: Leon Marchand, more popularly known as the French Michael Phelps.

The 22-year-old made his Olympic debut on his home ground. At the París La Défense Arena, he claimed his maiden Olympic gold in the 400 IM with 4:02:95 on the clock. What’s even better? He set a new Olympic record, shattering the previous one set by Phelps. When Bowman was asked what he thought of his performance in the French capital, the coach didn’t take much time to chime back with, “He’s the best in this event in history,” with a wide grin on his face.

Bob Bowman has now passed the 400 IM crown to Leon Marchand

Bob Bowman switched out the red white and blue for a different set of the same colors at the 2024 Paris Olympics. As the assistant coach at Team France, his focus has been on Marchand’s performance in the pool. But, long before he found his way to the French capital, he used to coach a very young Phelps before he’d even considered leaving an indelible mark in the sport. Even though the coach found great success with the American throughout, he was rooting for Leon Marchand at the Paris Olympics.

Amidst a tumultuous cheer from the stands, the 22-year-old made his coach the proudest man in the stadium, according to whom, “It was incredible. I’ve never really been at anything like that. So it was great, it was fantastic. I actually did tear up a little bit right at the end, everyone was so happy.” Despite having the entire nation’s hopes and expectations on his shoulders, Bowman had only one thing to say to his tutee before his race. The coach had one last message for his mentee before the latter dived headfirst into the competition: “Have fun out there, that’s it.” And it looks like the Frenchman had the time of his life.

After a promising run at the 2022 World Championships, Leon Marchand competed at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan. Even though he was looking to claim the world title as his own, he did something even better. With an insane time of 4:02:50, he effortlessly shattered Michael Phelp’s previous world record of 04:03:84 seconds. The G.O.A.T. even gave them a shoutout, stating that “all records are meant to be broken.” He also expressed how he’s excited to watch him reach new heights.

The Frenchman has Michael Phelps in his corner

As Leon Marchand made his way into the París La Défense Arena, he was looking forward to clinching an Olympic gold despite his coach’s words. He seized an early lead and kept it up throughout the thrilling race. But after he touched the wall and pulled himself onto the ledge, his eyes were only looking for one thing: the clock. He had done it! He had clinched his first Olympic gold in what’s now his signature event in front of his fellow Frenchmen and women.

The swimmer walked in with the 400 IM World Record, but he now walked out as an Olympian with a new Olympic record. Michael Phelps cheered as he watched the wunderkind race to the finish. When he was asked what he thought about Marchand shattering his record on The Pat McAfee Show, he only had nice things to say. “For me, nobody believed that I was able to do the things I was trying to do. But I did deep down inside. Same thing for him, I love it.” Records are meant to be broken, aren’t they?

After tackling the 400 IM event in the French capital, Marchand will now shift his focus to three other events: the 200m breaststroke, the 200m IM, and the 200m butterfly. He secured an easy win in the 200m butterfly semi-final 1 in 1:53.50 and the 200m breaststroke semi-final 2 in 2:08.11. With Phelps’ backing and Bob Bowman’s expertise, the Frenchman could very well add a few more Olympic medals to his tally. Do you think he will create history on home soil?