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Leon Marchand announces training stint in a new location after his exploits at the Paris Olympics before returning to Michael Phelps' former coach
After a phenomenal 2024 season that saw him win four Olympic gold medals, Leon Marchand has made the decision to try out something new for the upcoming months. The French swimmer recently announced that he would head to Australia for a training stint, before eventually returning to the US to train under Michael Phelps’ former coach, Bob Bowman.
Marchand has been training under Bowman for the last four years, having reached out to the American via email back in 2020. Since then, the youngster has grown into one of the swimming world's biggest names, having won five World Championship golds and five Olympic medals in the last three years.
Now, after his heroics at the Paris Olympics, Marchand is looking to shake things up a little bit. Speaking to reporters from Imaz Press Reunion on December 19, the 22-year-old revealed that starting in January 2025, he will be training under Dean Boxall in Australia for two or three months. Explaining the reasoning behind his decision, he said,
“To breathe, to see something else. I spoke with my coach, he thought it was good to see another way of training. It’s the right time, I have four years to prepare for Los Angeles, I have time, I’m going to be able to surf and enjoy Australia.
Dena Boxall is the head coach of the Brisbane-based St. Peters Western club and was responsible for 10 swimmers on the 2024 Australian Olympic Team. While in Australia, Marchand will get to train with the likes of four-time Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, five-time Olympic gold medalist Mollie O’Callaghan, World Champion Elijah Winnigton, and Olympic and World Champion Shayna Jack.
Leon Marchand was named World Aquatics Male Athlete of the Year
After his incredible 2024 season, Leon Marchand has been named the 2024 World Aquatics Male Athlete of the Year. The award was based on public voting on World Aquatics’ Instagram and a nomination committee. The Frenchmen beat out fellow Olympic gold medalists China's Pan Zhanle, Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, U.S. swimmer Bobby Finke, and Hungary’s Kristóf Milák for the honor.
Marchand’s year saw him deliver an unforgettable performance at the Paris Olympics, as he thrilled the home crowd to win the 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 200m medley, and 400m medley at the Games. His Olympic campaign also saw him win a bronze in the 4x100m medley.
Leon Marchand kept up this phenomenal form after the Games, competing in the Swimming World Cup. The World Cup was divided into three legs, Shanghai, Incheon, and Singapore, and the Frenchmen won gold in the 100, 200, and 400m individual medley events at each of the three legs. At the World Cup, he also set a short-course world record in the 200m IM.
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