Léon Marchand's trainer Bob Bowman announced that the Frenchman would turn professional soon. The French swimmer has been walking on water for two years in the American university championships.
In total, the Frenchman won eight individual titles at these championships in three years, breaking four world records. Bob Bowman confirmed that he would join the staff of the French swimming team during the Olympic Games this summer. The announcement comes a week after a previous announcement from Bob Bowman. Michael Phelps' former coach had announced that he will leave Arizona State University, which has just won the first NCAA title in its history, to join Austin, Texas. He will be followed by LéonMarchand, who is currently in the same American state at the Pro Swim Series where he achieved the best time in the 400m medley series on Friday after winning the 200m butterfly the day before. The Toulouse resident's income should be much greater and the five-time world champion will no longer have to respect a whole bunch of rules relating to his status as a foreign student-athlete in the United States.