Competitor Coach of the Month: Bob Bowman

Competitor Coach of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based coach who has risen above the competition. As with any item of recognition, Competitor Coach of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one coach whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a coach who was clearly in the limelight, or one whose work fell through the cracks a bit more among other stories. If your favorite coach wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.

It’s been a whirlwind 2024 for Bob Bowman, leading the Arizona State men to Pac-12 and NCAA Championship titles in the winter before shockingly announcing his move to the University of Texas on April 1.

Bowman’s swimmers have thrived all year, both collegiately and internationally, and that success has been put on full display at the Paris Olympics.

Serving on the French team staff rather than the U.S., Bowman is the man behind the unparalleled dominance by France’s superstar, Leon Marchand, who has performed under the highest level of pressure imaginable in Paris.

Marchand became just the fourth swimmer in history to win four individual gold medals at a single Olympic Games on Friday, joining Bowman’s former pupil Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Kristin Otto, and has set new Olympic Records in each and every race.

Marchand has recorded the second-fastest swim in history in the 200 breast (2:05.85), 200 IM (1:54.06) and 400 IM (4:02.95), and the #4 swim ever in the 200 fly (1:51.21). He now ranks #2 all-time in terms of performers in the 200 breast, 200 IM and 200 fly.

In addition to Marchand, Bowman has also guided Hubert Kos to Olympic gold in the men’s 200 back, Regan Smith to three silver medals in the women’s 100 back, 200 back and 200 fly, and has played a part in training other Paris medalists Ilya Kharun, Drew Kibler and Ryan Held over the past 12 months.

About Competitor Swim

Since 1960, Competitor Swim® has been the leader in the production of racing lanes and other swim products for competitions around the world. Competitor lane lines have been used in countless NCAA Championships, as well as 10 of the past 13 Olympic Games. Molded and assembled using U.S. – made components, Competitor lane lines are durable, easy to set up and are sold through distributors and dealers worldwide.

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