Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Duplantis says Marchand deserved to win as much as he did

Leon Marchand, one of five nominees for this year’s Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, received high praise at last night’s ceremony in Madrid from the eventual winner, Mondo Duplantis.

The 25-year-old Swedish pole vaulter, who retained his Olympic title with a world record, described the achievement of the 22-year-old French swimmer in winning four golds at his home Games last summer as “incredible”, adding:

“He inspired an entire nation in Paris. That’s the magic of sport: it can unite an entire country.”

Duplantis, for whom this was a first win after four nominations, added wryly:

“Marchand deserved to win as much as I did. I don’t know how the decision is made, but I’m very honoured to have been chosen.”

European Aquatics President Antonio Silva also paid tribute to Marchand, whose other fellow nominees were Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar and Dutch Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen.

“Many congratulations to Leon Marchand,” he said.  

“We are proud to acknowledge the continuing achievements of an athlete who is an inspirational ambassador for his sport and for European Aquatics.”

Marchand became a home icon in winning four individual swimming golds at the Paris 2024 Olympics – more than any other athlete competing in the Games.

His four Olympic titles came in the 400m individual medley, 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, and 200m individual medley – and each victory came with an Olympic record.

He also took a bronze medal with his French teammates in the men’s 4x100m medley relay.

Marchand, who trains in the United States, was chosen to extinguish the Olympic flame at the Games Closing Ceremony.

He later won the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup series, during which he set a short-course world record in the 200m individual medley with a time of 1:48.88.

In January he was named Best Male Swimmer in the 2024 European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards. He was also named World Aquatics Male Swimmer of the Year in December 2024.

Back home, his contributions to French sport were recognised at the highest level when he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour by French President Emmanuel Macron.

No swimmer has yet won the Sportsman accolade at the Awards, which are voted on by the 69 sporting legends of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

The World Sportswoman of the Year award has been won once by a swimmer – Missy Franklin of the United States secured a statuette in 2014. Five years before that Britain’s Rebecca Adlington was named winner in the mixed category of World Sports Breakthrough of the Year.

Duplantis was only the second track and field athlete to win the Sportsman award after Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who won the title four times between 2009 and 2017.

The World Sportswoman of the Year award went – for a fourth time – to United States gymnast Simone Biles, equalling the record held by her compatriot Serena Williams.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

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