Michael Phelps: “I think the coolest thing about the Olympics is just being able to enjoy every culture”

Saturday July 27 marks the start of the Olympic swimming program at the Arena Paris La Défense in Nanterre. Over nine days, 35 Olympic titles for men and women will be awarded to the world's best swimmers. In the running is 21-year-old French star Léon Marchand, an OMEGA ambassador featured in the brand's latest advertising campaign for the Games.

Swimming is one of the flagship sports of 2024, with not only the Olympic Games events but also the 21st World Swimming Championships held in Doha last February. For OMEGA, Official Timekeeper of the World Swimming Championships since 1973 and Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games on 30 occasions since 1932, the stakes are high.

Meet French swimming prodigy and three-time gold medallist Léon Marchand, and the most successful and most medalled athlete in the history of the Olympic Games, American Michael Phelps, also a member of the “OMEGA family of swimmers”.

When and how did you both meet for the first time?

Léon Marchand: The first time was in Fukuoka at the World Champs. I’d just finished my 400m in the preliminaries, before the final. Michael was in the stands and he called me over. It was the first time I’d met him and he said, “go get it tonight.”  He was excited for me. I felt really good after the prelims. I’d met a legend and I was ready to go.

Michael Phelps: I said “yeah, dude, just rip one tonight.” We’d messaged back and forth on Instagram, months before. I'd even been at the pool for a few meets at ASU where Léon trained, but we’d still never met. It was crazy. So, actually, the first time we chatted was in Fukuoka. Obviously, I hear everything that he's doing from Bob Bowman. Coach is grandpa to my kids. He's kind of like a dad to me, so I knew what Léon was going though just based off his training. I just said to him, “see what you can do. Records are meant to be broken.” This was the kid that was going to break my record, there was no doubt about it.

Of course, now we know that Léon did break Michael’s World Record. Take us through your different emotions in that moment.

MP: To be honest, I was trying to hold it for 20 years. So I got there. I can say I hold the longest-standing swimming World Record. That’s something really cool. But in Léon’s race, as soon as he turned with 100 to go, and he was a body length ahead of the record, I knew he wasn’t going to fade. As I said before, I knew it was going to get broken. I just didn't know when.

LM: I'd been watching the video of Michael’s World Record a lot. The one from Beijing. I knew it was an amazing swim and it was a dream to maybe come close to that. I remember when I touched the finish, I knew I’d broken it because I just felt really good. The entire pool was cheering for me, so I thought, “alright, that's it. I think I did it.” I took my time to turn around and look at the OMEGA scoreboard. I couldn’t believe it. I remember feeling really present in my life right at that moment.

MP: That was my last-standing individual World Record, but we're keeping it in the family with Bob and Léon. So it couldn't have gone to a better person.

Do you see a lot of similarities in each other?

LM: We definitely have similarities. We both work really hard. We love to push the boundaries of the sport, and we're both pretty good at performing under pressure. That's why we can do a lot of different events.

MP: We are both very dedicated, very hard working. We put in the work to be able to have the opportunities. I see that based off what he does in practice. For me, I wanted that opportunity, and I wanted to grab it as much as I could. And I see that with Léon. You see him taking underwater to a different level. Ian Thorpe kind of invented that, then Ryan Lochte and I took it to another level. Now, Léon's really taking it to a new level again.

You’ve both had OMEGA Timekeeping throughout your careers. What does that precision and reliability mean to the athletes?

LM: I don't think I could do a sport where I get judged by someone. I think it's just amazing to have this precise timekeeping because you remove any injustice or unfairness. We can just accept the victories. The results don’t lie. That's the numbers. And I do really think it helps the sport overall to make it better and faster.

MP: That photo of me winning a race by a 100^th of a second against Cavic, they were able to go down to the 1,000^th of a second just to prove it. It’s the best timing on the planet. I've won every one of my Olympic medals through OMEGA timekeeping. I guess I'm extremely bias, but they're the best. From the year 2000 to 2020, we’ve been able to see so many different improvements that have really benefited the sport. We have these unbelievable timing systems, we have these unbelievable starting blocks. These things are small details that are helping us take the sport to a new level.

Do you have a favourite OMEGA watch?

LM: I really like the new Speedmaster Chronoscope. The one created for Paris 2024.

MP: That thing is unreal. As soon as it went online, I instantly started screenshotting it and putting it on my wish list. I guess I'm a big Speedmaster guy and I love anything gold or Sedna Gold. The CK 2998, I have that one. It's a Limited Edition and it has my son's name engraved on the back. But then, I can't forget my all-time favourite - my own Planet Ocean. As a kid growing up, I never thought that I would have a watch created in my name.

LM: I think I love Speedmasters the most. I am wearing the Speedmaster Moonwatch now and I love it.

We now have Paris 2024 coming up in Léon’s home country.  Outside the sports, what things should visitors do in the host city?

LM: I don't live in Paris, but I’ve had some great advice from friends who are there. Maybe have dinner with a view of the Louvre. Or grab some pastries from Cedric Grolet. He has a super cool Instagram page and it's pretty beautiful what he's doing. Then, of course, you can watch the sunset from the roofs of Paris, or spend a night of the Molitor Hotel. The pool there is crazy. You’ve already been there, right Michael?

MP: Yes, that's the one by Roland Garros, right?  I've had some cool experiences in Paris. My wife and I spent some time over there. We've had dinner a handful of times just staring at the Eiffel Tower. We've gotten to the Louvre, in fact we’ve gone to almost every museum. Honestly, I think the coolest thing about the Olympics is just being able to enjoy every culture.