Where does Léon Marchand train? Get to know the Olympic gold medalist
Arizona State junior Léon Marchand is becoming the face of the 2024 Paris Olympics with his dazzling performances in the pool — four races, four gold medals, four Olympic records.
"I don't think anything went wrong this week," Marchand told reporters Friday. "It was just perfect."
Marchand first captivated audiences when he won by nearly six seconds in the 400-meter individual medley. He then pulled off arguably the most impressive doubles in Olympic history when he won the 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter breaststroke on the same night, just two hours apart. No Olympian had ever done that before, and he became the first swimmer since 1976 to win two gold medals on the same day.
The 22-year-old has become a national hero as he creates a legacy in his home country of France and reaches household name status with his Olympic glory. But, before he was an international superstar, Marchand was perfecting his technique with Bob Bowman on ASU’s campus in Tempe.
Where does Léon Marchand train?
Marchand currently trains in Austin, Texas at the University of Texas with his longtime coach, Bob Bowman. Bowman recently left ASU to become the director of swimming at Texas. Marchand turned professional following the NCAA season after leading the Sun Devils to the team title.
Prior to Texas, Marchand’s home was the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Marchand famously sent an email to Bowman three years ago asking if he could join the swim team on a scholarship. Bowman, who recognized the last name, quickly said yes after seeing his times.
Who is Léon Marchand? And what is the Michael Phelps connection?
Born on May 17, 2002, in Toulouse, France, he is the son of former French swimmers, Xavier Marchand and Céline Bonnet. His father, Xavier, also went the NCAA route, competing at Auburn in the early 1990s. Xavier was a former world silver medalist and two-time Olympian. Céline competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and is a French record-holder.
And this is where the Michael Phelps connection began. As The Washington Post reported, Xavier was trying to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics at an early-season meet at Auburn when he came across a young 18-year-old Michael Phelps, who was asserting himself as one of the world’s best swimmers. And in that race, Phelps torched the elder Marchand by nine seconds. It was a moment of reckoning for Xavier. Coaching Phelps at the time? Bob Bowman. Phelps and Bowman would go on to form the winningest duo in Olympic history with 28 medals.
Phelps and Marchand trained under Bob Bowman
About 17 years after that fateful day for Xavier, it was his son who sent off an email to Bowman, forever altering the trajectory for the young Frenchman. It's been a match made in heaven since then. At ASU, Marchand set five collegiate records and won 10 NCAA titles, 17 Pac-12 titles, and three Pac-12 men's swimmer of the year awards.
Now, after leading the greatest swimmer to live, Bowman is leading the man who has been dubbed “the French Michael Phelps.”
Herbie Behm, who is taking over the swim program from Bowman after being an assistant in the program since 2018, still remembers the email that Bowman got from Marchand. The majority of ASU’s recruiting pitch to Marchand centered around him being the face of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
What’s next for Marchand?
Marchand still is likely to swim the mixed 4x100m medley relay Saturday (12:58 p.m. MST, 3:58 p.m. ET) and the men's 4x100m medley relay Sunday (10:10 a.m. MST, 1:10 p.m. ET).
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@LSscribe.