Swimming: Léon Marchand elected swimmer of the year 2024

It’s not particularly surprising, but at only 22 years old, it’s a distinction that anchors Léon Marchand a little more in the legend of his sport : the Frenchman was elected swimmer of the year 2024, the International Federation announced on Sunday. The swimmer particularly distinguished himself this summer by winning four gold medals (200 and 400 m medley, 200 m butterfly and breaststroke) at the Paris Olympic Games. In front of his audience, he also won bronze with the 4x100m medley relay.

The Canadian Summer McIntosh, crowned on the women’s side, obtained three gold medals in the French capital (200 and 400 m medley, 200 m butterfly), when she was only 17 years old. She also won silver in the 400m freestyle final.

She received her trophy on Sunday during a ceremony organized at the Short Course Swimming Worlds in Budapest, where she shone again with three gold medals and as many world records. Leon Marchand, “exhausted”, had preferred to ignore it on the Hungarian competition in predictions of upcoming competitions in 2025.