It only took a handful of minutes for Bob Bowman to decide. The former coach of swimming legend Michael Phelps did not know Léon Marchand when the latter contacted him by email last year to join him in Arizona. A quick look at the references of the Toulousain, engaged on Saturday June 18 in the 400 meter medley at the Budapest Worlds, then pushed him to accept “immediately”, says the coach in a big burst of laughter.
Bob Bowman and his protege have been working together since September, when the 20-year-old Habs are now studying at Arizona State University. The two men were invited to participate in the gathering of the French swimming team, ahead of the Budapest Worlds, in Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales), from June 5 to 14. A first for the coach, who had previously only worn the American national outfit. For franceinfo: sport, he returned to his first months with one of the great hopes of tricolor swimming.
Franceinfo: sport: How would you describe Léon Marchand?
Bob Bowman: He is kind and humble. Above all, he is the nicest person you will ever meet. He loves competition and swimming. As a swimmer, he is quite talented and he was well prepared by his trainer Nicolas Castel before he arrived in my team. Nicolas Castel did a very good job because Léon has an excellent technique. He has all the tools you would expect from a world class swimmer.
How has he evolved since his arrival in the United States?
We continued to improve his swimming. He has made great progress in his movements of flapping and undulating under water. He has become one of the best on this point in the United States, even in the world.
He has also started training more intensely, so he is stronger and has gained muscle this year, which is an important part of his development. I think his training squad in Arizona is also much stronger than the one he used to be around. Just on a daily basis, his level of training has gone up a notch.
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In what areas does he still need to improve?
He still needs to gain experience at world level, which he will be able to do in Budapest. His backstroke and breaststroke can still be improved. His butterfly is very good but he can still make some minor changes that could make a big difference.
He also needs to keep improving in training and doing things that no one else in the world does. He actually started doing it: he did things that I didn’t even see Michael Phelps do in training. If he continues like this, I think he will improve.
What parallel can you draw between Michael Phelps and Léon Marchand?
There are a few similarities. Like Michael, Leon swims all strokes quite well and can progress from 100 to 400 meters. He might even swim longer distances but I don’t think we’ll see that.
Both are very strong in their beats and ripples underwater. The difference is that Leon is a very good backstroker but an average backstroker, when Michael was a very good backstroker and an average backstroker. Beside that, both are good in butterfly and crawl, have stamina and speed.
How did Léon Marchand adapt to the American system?
Very easily. Léon is an excellent student, who speaks very good English. So it was very easy for him. He has a good state of mind, he is very relaxed. And he doesn’t get upset by the unexpected, he just keeps moving forward.
In his first American college season, he broke American star Caeleb Dressel’s record in the 200-yard medley. Were you surprised?
No, I haven’t because I’ve seen him train and compete throughout the year. He trained to be able to swim that fast. This was, in my view, a predictable outcome.
What can Léon Marchand aim for in Budapest? A title ?
It’s too early to tell. He has to aim for a medal and he really has to beat his best time. He has to focus on putting in his best time performance, and if he does, he will be able to get on the podium.