A Confident Taurus Thanks to the Sun at the Midheaven

Léon Marchand, the French swimmer who dazzled at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, is a Taurus with a Leo Ascendant.
His natal chart reveals a majority of planets above the horizon, including all the personal ones, which confirms a desire to shine and express himself outwardly. Only Pluto and Neptune are located in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Sun, the first dominant of his chart, ruling his Ascendant and conjunct the Midheaven, predestines him for a highly promising career that will be very visible to the public.
However, as a Taurus native, Léon Marchand remains grounded once out of the pool.
For example, after his triumph, he declined to participate in Léa Salamé's talk show in the wake of the Games, feeling that the program didn't align with his values.
Is this a rock star attitude or truth expressed with complete honesty? The aspects of this Sun speak volumes on the subject, given that the planet forms a square with his Ascendant and Uranus, indicating that he doesn’t bother altering his behavior to please others and that his freedom of choice is essential to him.
Nevertheless, the positive aspect linking his Sun and natal Moon ensures a good internal balance, which softens his free-spirited nature and fearlessness of shocking others.
Born in Toulouse, in the south of France, Léon Marchand is a "child of the sport" since both his parents, along with other family members, are high-level professional swimmers.
However, Léon started by practicing different sports: judo and rugby, feeling a bit too frail for competitive swimming, before being drawn to the pool. Gifted in the water, he quickly obtained his swimming license thereafter.
This passion for water can be explained by his Moon in Cancer, as well as his almost excessive modesty in his early days. This Moon in Cancer gives him a kind and caring temperament, which also mitigates the fierce refusal of constraints we just mentioned: he has no problem signing autographs for admiring young children. In this sense, the sextile between the Moon and the Sun is fully at play.
Gemini Gave Him Exceptional Lungs
The most striking planetary configuration in his chart is the close conjunction between Venus and Mars in Gemini, confirming a passion for physical activity where he can demonstrate his skill and flexibility.
This duo forms a trine to Uranus, one of his dominant planets, which is angular at the Descendant (the house of relationships with others), and a sextile to the Ascendant. Additionally, there is a distant and therefore less influential opposition from Pluto in Sagittarius.
Since his extraordinary performances, sports commentators have been trying to dissect his technique and have highlighted several elements corresponding to this astrological structure. Léon Marchand knows how to use his body perfectly, which, although relatively lean, is endowed with extreme flexibility for undulating underwater, allowing him to minimize the effects of waves.
Scientists who have studied his metabolism have also noted that he is capable of managing effort by staying underwater for extended periods — his famous underwater phases — without needing oxygen. This optimization of an otherwise intense effort is partly based on the strength of his lungs, an organ associated with Gemini.
Mars and Venus, well supported by Uranus, the planet of excess and records, illustrate the speed he achieves by overcoming sometimes harsh resistance, represented by Pluto in Sagittarius.
Mercury Pulls the Strings
Positioned at 9° Gemini, Mercury not only rules the Mars-Venus duo but also Saturn and the North Node. Mental resources, such as emotional management and long-term discipline, explain how Léon Marchand has never left things to chance.
He chose to go abroad to be trained by the former coach of the American legend Michael Phelps.
Uranus in the 7th house, associated with unexpected partnerships, symbolizes his decision to cultivate his passion (Mars and Venus) by stepping outside the traditional framework. Pluto, in Sagittarius in the 4th house, also emphasizes the need to uproot oneself.
The Notion of Pleasure is Well-Represented in His Chart
Beyond performance, the sextile of Jupiter in Cancer to the Midheaven suggests support to propel his success. This aspect, linked to professional achievement, is governed in his chart by Venus, the ruler of Taurus and therefore of the Sun.
This should be seen as the promise of finding happiness through swimming.
Moreover, beyond his Olympic triumph, Léon Marchand remains a simple young man, attached to family values and unimpressed by glitz, while being able to savor the fruits of his labor.
The Very Favorable Transits for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Léon Marchand's Sun, at 26° Taurus, was activated by the exact transit of Uranus during the Paris fortnight. This passage happens only once in a lifetime. The planet of surprises brought its share of the unexpected to his successes.
Indeed, even though his medals were not a surprise, the fact that he managed to compete in such a closely packed schedule of races and excel in very different swimming styles is extraordinary.
The transits of Mars in Gemini over his Mercury, the ruler of the key configuration, as well as that of Jupiter, were assets of immense value.
The future looks exciting with such a promising natal chart. Léon Marchand seems well-positioned to continue shining. He will benefit from Jupiter's return to its natal position in the second half of 2025, which is always a positive sign.
Finally, the long-term ephemerides reveal something even more striking: Venus, Uranus, and Mars will align in Gemini during the Los Angeles Games in 2028!
Léon Marchand




You can also read the Astrotheme astrological portrait of Léon Marchand.
You will find below the interactive horoscope of Léon Marchand:
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Sun 26°23' Taurus, in House X
Moon 26°17' Cancer, in House XI
Mercury 9°52' Я Gemini, in House X
Venus 26°17' Gemini, in House XI
Mars 22°43' Gemini, in House X
Jupiter 13°46' Cancer, in House XI
Saturn 15°30' Gemini, in House X
Uranus 28°43' Aquarius, in House VII
Neptune 10°59' Я Aquarius, in House VI
Pluto 16°49' Я Sagittarius, in House IV
North Node 17°56' Gemini, in House X
Lilith 20°06' Aries, in House IX
Fortune 25°42' Libra, in House III
Vertex 18°34' Capricorn, in House V
East Point 12°57' Leo, in House XII
Ascendant 25°47' Leo
House II 17°33' Virgo
House III 14°44' Libra
House IV 17°53' Scorpio
House V 24°02' Sagittarius
House VI 27°24' Capricorn
House VII 25°47' Aquarius
House VIII 17°33' Pisces
House IX 14°44' Aries
Midheaven 17°53' Taurus
House XI 24°02' Gemini
House XII 27°24' Cancer
Ascendant 25°47' Leo
Midheaven 17°53' Taurus
* A planet less than 1° from the next House cusp is considered to be posited in the said House. 2° when the AS and the MC are involved