Leon Marchand's brand is on fire as his Olympic star rises

PARIS : Leon Marchand's golden Olympic exploits have propelled the French swimmer to a new level of fame and provided a boon for his sponsors, as well as creating potential openings for other brands.

As sponsor and official timekeeper of the Paris 2024 Olympics respectively, LVMH and Omega had already funnelled global attention to their brands. Marchand is also an ambassador for both Omega and LVMH's Louis Vuitton, so the labels are getting a new level of exposure as Marchand mania sweeps through family living rooms, bars and fan zones.

"Sometimes, lightning strikes in a bottle and it did for them," said Terrence Burns, Olympics sponsorship expert and CEO of the T. Burns Sports Group, describing LVMH's link to the athlete.

The 22-year-old Marchand has won three gold medals at the Games and is vying for two more, becoming the French face of the Olympics and performing to an adoring home crowd.

Mentions of Marchand on social media spiked to more than 200,000 on Wednesday from barely 1,300 four days earlier, according to analytics firm Sprinklr.

"They did the research, they watched him forever," Burns said of LVMH's signing of the athlete.

Omega, which belongs to Swatch group is the official timekeeper of the games. Vuitton, owned by premium Olympics sponsor LVMH, has featured prominently in the Games, designing the trunk that housed the Olympic flame as well as the trays for medals ceremonies.

Omega signed Marchand onto its books a year ago, the Swiss-based watchmaker said.

"We were ready to be there," said Omega chief executive Raynald Aeschlimann, describing the energy of the packed stadium on Wednesday, when Marchand made sports history winning the 200 metres breaststroke and butterfly golds on the same night.

"This is a