Léon Marchand, Olympic swimming star, is a star at residence. Is America subsequent?

There are two variations of the present world’s biggest males’s swimmer, Léon Marchand, final seen by Olympic audiences bare-chested however for his gold medal on the Trocadero in entrance of tens of 1000’s of screaming Parisians, and later escorting the Olympic flame to the closing ceremonies.

Version 1 is the rock star model of the 23-year-old Marchand throughout his occasional visits to France, the place he’s among the many nation’s greatest movie star heartthrobs who can’t actually exit in public with out getting stared at and mobbed.

Version 2 is Marchand in America, the place he’s ending up a level in pc science at Arizona State University whereas dwelling and coaching in Austin, Texas. That model of Marchand can wander the streets of ATX as simply one other match younger man.

He can seize espresso, pattern the music scene, chill at Barton Springs on the downtown lake, after which do one other few thousand yards in one of many 4 swimming pools on the University of Texas — he prefers the outside ones — all with out anybody giving him a lot as a re-examination.

“It’s actually really cool. I’m just a normal guy,” Marchand mentioned throughout an interview from Colorado Springs, the place he and a number of other different Austin-based swimmers had been doing a stint on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center. “I have freedom.”

If Marchand’s rising portfolio of sponsors will get their means, that may change in the course of the subsequent three years within the run-up to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, which can begin in just below 1,000 days. Marchand is the very best males’s swimmer since Michael Phelps. He resides on this planet’s main swimming nation. Roughly 10 million folks within the U.S. declare French or French Canadian ancestry.

Marchand waves to followers on the Trocadero in Paris after his five-medal efficiency on the 2024 Olympics. A local of Toulouse, Marchand trains principally within the U.S. (Jack Guez / AFP by way of Getty Images)

He additionally lately turned an envoy for Speedo, the world’s greatest swimming model and the corporate that helped make Phelps a family title.

Marchand has been swimming in Speedos since his earliest days along with his hometown membership, the Dauphins du TOEC, the Toulouse Olympique Employés Club. Being an envoy means the corporate and Marchand can collaborate on gear, and so they can use each other to construct their respective profiles. Financial phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Speedo and Phelps had a prolonged partnership that famously delivered a $1 million bonus to him when he received a report eight gold medals on the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

“Léon is a remarkable talent, and he has an ability to inspire audiences both in the water and far beyond it,” mentioned Rob Ashcroft, Speedo’s model director. “He also brings an interesting set of passions and ideas outside of his athletic pursuits.”

Those skills and pursuits, which embrace astronomy and recording and mixing music, could assist Speedo accomplish its bigger mission of turning Marchand into one thing greater than a celebrity swimmer. That would permit it to develop the game and promote extra swimsuits and likewise make Marchand a family title in time for the 2028 Games, assuming Marchand stays the game’s normal.

“Based on his own personal growth trajectory as an athlete and public figure, as well as the plans we’re taking on together, we’re confident that will only continue,” Ashcroft mentioned.

Marchand is aware of all this may put an finish to his relative anonymity exterior of France. It’s one thing he began getting ready for some time in the past, properly earlier than the 2024 Paris Games, when it began to turn out to be clear that he was going to be the primary breakout star.

That’s when he was capable of strike up a friendship with Antoine Dupont, a rugby star who lives in Toulouse. They had lengthy talks about how one can deal with fame. They talked much more about that than coaching methods.

Marchand wished to know the way he dealt with the stress that comes with stardom.

“He was really good at explaining to me how to be myself even if people are watching me and trying to take a picture, trying to see what I’m doing, trying to see how I look,” he mentioned. “So he really helped me on that part.”

He additionally obtained to have lunch with Kylian Mbappé, the French world soccer star, and choose his mind on the topic. Mbappé and his mom wished recommendation on organising a close-knit crew. Marchand wished to listen to about Mbappé’s expertise with superstardom.

“I remember him saying to me, ‘Enjoy your life right now because it’s going to change,’” Marchand mentioned.

That it has, in methods small and huge. After the Olympics, Marchand relocated to Austin from Tempe, Ariz., as a result of his coach, Bob Bowman, who coached Phelps by his profession, switched from Arizona State to the University of Texas.

Marchand mentioned he’s attempting to maneuver out of his consolation zone throughout this cycle. His specialties are the 200- and 400-meter particular person medley races, which require swimmers to race all 4 strokes. He desires to turn out to be aggressive in freestyle, each the 200 and 400. It’s going to take some work, since his instances in these occasions aren’t but according to the very best of the competitors.

Marchand on the 2024 Olympics with Bob Bowman, ex-coach of Michael Phelps, who trains Marchand in Austin, Texas. The swimmer calls his relative anonymity within the U.S. “really cool.” (Xavier Laine / Getty Images)

He’s not so apprehensive. He’s obtained a while, and likewise seemingly the correct coach. Bowman is understood for getting ready his swimmers for any final result. He as soon as famously stepped on Phelps’ goggles simply earlier than a time trial in follow, forcing Phelps to swim in busted goggles.

At the Olympics in Beijing, Phelps’ goggles broke in the course of the 200-meter butterfly ultimate. He swam the final lap and a half basically blind and found out the place he was by counting his strokes.

Marchand mentioned Bowman had but to tug that one on him.

“I don’t think he’s as rough as he used to be,” he mentioned.

Bowman has rather less than three years to show Marchand fallacious. Next summer time will deliver the European championships. In 2027, there can be one other World Aquatics Championships — Marchand received two golds and set a brand new world report within the 200 IM at this 12 months’s worlds — after which 2028 will deliver the large present in L.A.

Becoming the face of a house Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime expertise, he mentioned. Los Angeles can be one thing else, and hopefully almost as memorable.

“I think L.A. will be magical,” he mentioned. “Even if it’s not in my home country, I think it’s kind of like the capital of sport.”

Someone may even acknowledge him.