Léon Marchand: schedule and times of his races at the World Swimming Championships

Frenchman Léon Marchand is back in the long pool for the World Swimming Championships in Singapore.

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Léon Marchand was born on May 17, 2002 in Toulouse and is the son of two former swimmers: Xavier Marchand, silver medalist at the 200m medley world championships in 1998, and Céline Bonnet, backstroke swimmer and medley specialist, who notably participated in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. His uncle, Christophe, is also a former Olympic swimmer, now the sports director of a swimming pool in Clichy. The young "Léon" has obviously been swimming in pools since he was very young, even if he had a preference for judo and rugby before embarking on his parents' footsteps, going so far as to be crowned French champion in the 200m butterfly in Rennes in 2019, making him the first French swimmer to achieve such a title at 17 years old. A few months later, he won a bronze medal in the 400m individual medley and the 200m breaststroke at the 2019 European Junior Championships. At the 2022 World Swimming Championships in Budapest, he left with three medals, including two gold. His greatest achievement remains and will remain the 2024 Paris Olympics, with four gold medals.

Who are Léon Marchand's parents?

Léon Marchand comes from a lineage of swimmers. His mother is simply Céline Bonnet, a backstroke specialist and multiple French champion. His father, Xavier Marchand, was a world vice-champion in the 200m individual medley in Perth, Australia, in 1998.

How tall is Leon Marchand?

The French swimmer, a specialist in the 400m medley, is a big figure in the world of swimming and measures 1.83m according to the latest data from the FFN.

Why did Léon Marchand go to Arizona?

The day after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where he reached his first Olympic final, finishing sixth, Léon Marchand packed his bags to join Arizona State University and a certain Bob Bowman, former mentor of a certain Michael Phelps. Since then, the young prodigy has continued to improve and impress the United States. He made headlines in May 2022 when he broke the NCAA record for the 200-yard individual medley, previously held by Caeleb Dressel. A performance that was praised by... Michael Phelps on Instagram.

Beyond the results in the pool, Léon Marchand has simply evolved since leaving for the United States, as he explained to 20 minutes in June 2022. "In bodybuilding, I've done more "weightlifting", more explosiveness. I'm much more powerful. Mentally, I've gained autonomy and a lot of experience because I've swum a lot in the NCAA (the university championship in the United States). I've done lots of races, lots of relays. In competition, I can now throw myself at the wall to win the race. I've swum a lot with Bob (Bowman). I've improved my backstroke, my crawl. I have more assets than before. I simply swim faster."

Leon Marchand and Bob Bowman

Based in the USA, Léon Marchand is working under the legendary Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps' former mentor, and is learning a lot from him. "I was very impressed at first. But he's a really great coach, with a lot of experience. I know I'll be ready for any competition with him. And he's really relaxed. He's had a lot of results, so he's cooler. We have a lot of fun training while knowing where we're going, what we want to do. We've formed a connection."

Léon Marchand at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Léon Marchand won the gold medal in the 400m individual medley in his first race at the Paris Olympics in July 2024. The Frenchman left his opponents no chance, finishing several seconds ahead in a race that turned into a demonstration, setting an Olympic record to boot. The Toulouse swimmer then followed up with a title in the 200m butterfly after an epic duel with Milak before making history by winning a third title in the 200m breaststroke. The Marchand legend didn't stop there with a fourth title in the 200m individual medley.