Leon Marchand is not stopping his march toward greatness anytime soon. Continuing his fine form from Paris, the French swimming icon has kept up the good work on the other side of Europe too. Competing in the Short Course World Championship in Shanghai, Marchand aimed to gather as many gold medals as possible. And the Frenchman has so far come out on top. Earlier, competing in his first event, Marchand won his maiden gold medal after Paris, winning the 100m individual medley. He clocked 50.65s to end up on top of the podium. 

And the Merchant Mania does not seem to be stopping anytime soon. Competing in his second event, the 200m individual medley a few moments back, the 22-year-old stormed to his second gold medal of the World Championships. En route to victory, not only did Marchand obliterate his opponents but also smashed some big records. He reached the finish line within 1:50.30s, establishing a new world record. 

Acknowledging his incredible feat of making two in two days, X account ‘FranceTVSport’ took to their official handle and congratulated Marchand in French. Translated to English, the post read, “LÉON MARCHAND DOES IT AGAIN! 🇨🇵💪 After his victory in the 100m medley yesterday, the four-time Olympic champion wins the 200m medley final! Second victory in two finals in this first stage of the World Cup!” Now then, while the world marvels at the incredible feat, this was kind of a normal day in business for the French superstar. 

Winning 4 Olympic gold medals this year made Marchand an instant hit within the swimming fraternity. After all, the last time a swimmer won 4 gold medals in a single Olympic edition was Michael Phelps. While Marchand still has a long way to go before he can equal Phelps’ incredible record, the Frenchman has surely made the world sit up and take notice. Surprisingly, Marchand is achieving all these accolades without the help of his head coach, Bob Bowman! 

Leon Marchand to miss Bob Bowman’s services till 2025

Leon Marchand took a chance several years back when he mailed the legendary coach about coaching him. Without any hopes of getting a reply, Bowman surprisingly agreed to the proposal within minutes and thus began Marchand’s endless pursuit of greatness. However, after spending a significant amount of time together, Bowman moved on to Texas to take up the mantle of being their head coach. This presented the Olympic gold medalist with a strange situation. He was without a coach with the Swimming World Cup approaching near. 

Enter Nicolas Castel, the man who initially trained Marchand before he came under Bob Bowman. During his childhood, it was Castel who crafted Marchand when he barely weighed 40 kg at 11 years old. Reminiscing about their days of struggle, Castel stated, “Every year, I pushed him a bit more. He was quiet, but he listened to the coaches and was a quick learner. It was important to improve his coordination. Every time we set ourselves a goal, we achieved it.” 

Luckily, Marchand will not have to bear the pangs of separation for long. Right at the start of 2025, Marchand will be reuniting with Bob Bowman as he is expected to fly back to Texas. Until then, all his fans could do is sit back, relax, and watch the Frenchman rake up one gold after the other.