Who is Léon Marchand, rising swimming star and Louis Vuitton ambassador?

At the age of 22, he has captured the hearts of all French people and is already being considered a swimming legend after breaking records in his favorite discipline. For the past few days, the name Léon Marchand has been on everyone's lips. And for good reason: he made history on Sunday, July 28, by setting a new 400-meter individual medley record, earning his first Olympic gold medal. Three days later, he won not one but two additional medals in one single day, victories achieved with natural ease that only increased his popularity among an already captivated audience. Born in Toulouse in 2002 to former Olympic champion swimmers, it can be said that the athlete has always been immersed in the world of swimming. He officially made his debut in 2019 at the French Swimming Championships, where he was crowned champion of the 200-meter butterfly. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he competed in the 200-meter individual medley, 200-meter butterfly, and 400-meter individual medley, reaching the finals and finishing in sixth place. But what personality lies behind this swimming phenomenon, and who is he outside of the athlete now known and appreciated by the general public?

In recent days, various memes have flourished about him on social media, some attributing a resemblance to Kylian Mbappé (through their status, influence and cultural importance), even sparking rumors that France has high-level athlete factories and that they might not be real. Yet, Léon Marchand is very human in many ways. The young athlete confessed to having experienced a major personal and professional reassessment in 2020 that could have taken his career in a completely different direction, or even ended it. He does not hesitate to speak about this and how positive thinking changed his life and professional journey. « I like to ask myself what happens if I fail? In fact, I realize that nothing special will happen. My family will still be just as happy for me. I used to swim with the energy of doing poorly, and it didn't necessarily go well; I didn't feel legitimate if I didn't bring home a medal. My goal is to know who I am as a human being, not a swimmer. I want to know how far I can go as an individual, and that transcends me. It brings good energy, and when I put that kind of energy into my body, I can regenerate during the race, I can run at full speed, I can start quickly. I can dare everything, in fact. I have nothing to lose anymore. When I have fun, I can do whatever I want; I have no limits,» he explained in an interview with Brut. A fine example of maturity for a young athlete, but above all, a life lesson for everyone and applicable to any field, not just sports.

And this maturity is evidently appealing, as even before the Olympics began, the swimmer had already won the title of the first athlete sponsored by LVMH for the Paris 2024 Games, with Louis Vuitton choosing him as an official ambassador. This is an extension of the partnership between the luxury giant and the sporting event and a way for the group's head, Bernard Arnault, to extend his omnipresence in the competition, but still a victory for the young athlete. And he is not the only one. No fewer than seven Olympic and Paralympic athletes have been selected to represent the group: alongside Léon are Antoine Dupont (rugby sevens), Enzo Lefort (fencing), and Timothée Adolphe (para-athletics) for Louis Vuitton, as well as Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos (artistic gymnastics), Pauline Déroulède (wheelchair tennis), and Marie Patouillet (para-cycling) for Dior. Although the association of sports and fashion may seem unusual to some, the two worlds have influenced each other since the dawn of time, and examples of collaborations between major Houses and athletes are countless. Given the growing popularity of athletes during the Olympic Games, it is only natural that brands choose them to transform them into models for a campaign, thus broadening their target audience and rallying to their cause members who were initially not so interested. What we are sure of is that Léon Marchand seems like a fish in water, both in the pool and in a Louis Vuitton campaign.