Who is Leon Marchand's coach and where does he train? Everything about the French prodigy's swimming mentor

By Zahid Rashid Dar

Modified Jul 28, 2024 22:11 GMT

Leon Marchand continues to transcend the boundaries in men's swimming and has now won his maiden Olympic title at the Paris Olympics 2024. In doing so, the French prodigy broke Michael Phelps’ Olympic record in the 400m IM.

Marchand, who holds the world record in the 400m IM as well, is coached by Bob Bowman, the same person who led Michael Phelps to a staggering 23 Olympic gold medals. The 22-year-old joined Arizona State University following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to train under Bowman, who was the head coach of the school's swimming team.

The French swimmer remained with ASU for three years, and shone brightly through those years, both in the NCAA competitions as well as the World Championships. Under Bowman's guidance, Marchand broke Phelps’ last standing world record in the 400m IM at the 2023 World Championships in Japan.

In early 2024, Bob Bowman switched to the Texas Longhorns which prompted Leon Marchand to move his training base as well. The 22-year-old forwent his one year of collegiate eligibility and turned pro. He joined the Texas Longhorns pro group to train under Bowman and currently trains there in Austin, Texas.

Bowman was announced as part of France's coaching staff for the 2024 Paris Olympics, allowing Marchand to be guided by the legendary swimming mentor at the biggest sporting event. It eventually paid off as the 22-year-old won a gold medal in the 400m IM for the hosts, running away with a time of 4:02.95s.

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Leon Marchand sent an email to Bob Bowman to take him on his team in 2020

Swimming - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Leon Marchand wins gold (Image via Getty)

Leon Marchand was fresh off winning medals at the 2019 World and European Junior Championships before the Tokyo Olympics. However, he didn't win any medals at the Olympic Games, which prompted him to look for a swimming mentor. Who better than Bob Bowman? The 22-year-old sent an email to him, asking to take him into his swimming team at Arizona State University.

"Thinking back when I first got that email, the first thing I thought was, 'Marchand? Xavier Marchand? I thought about his dad. I wonder if they are related and they were, of course," Bowman told NBC.

"So then he basically said, 'Do you think maybe you'd be interested in having me on your team?'"

Bowman revealed that when he saw Leon Marchand’s times, he instantly said yes.

"And then I looked up his times and I was like, 'Uh, yeah, most certainly we'd be happy to have you on our team.'"

Three years on and Bob Bowman is mentoring Leon Marchand at the Paris Olympics 2024. He is slated to compete in four events and could become the first French swimmer to win three Olympic medals.