Event and Venue:
- French Olympian Leon Marchand thrilled his countrymen by winning gold in the men’s 400 meter individual medley at La Defense arena, near Paris.
- Race Performance:
- Marchand, a 22-year-old swimmer, dominated the event, combining freestyle, back, breast, and butterfly strokes.
- He broke away from a pack of elite swimmers, finishing more than five seconds ahead of Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita.
- His time of 4:02:95 set a new Olympic record, surpassing Michael Phelps’ 2008 record.
- Marchand’s Reaction:
- Marchand described the moment as amazing and felt proud to represent France.
- On the podium, he experienced goosebumps and pride.
- Training Background:
- Marchand trained at Arizona State University under coach Bob Bowman before turning professional this spring.
- He presently is living in Austin, Texas.
- Coach’s Remarks:
- Bob Bowman praised Marchand as the best ever in the 400 meter individual medley, noting his speed and endurance.
- He believes Marchand can swim even faster.
- National Recognition:
- Marchand, now a national icon, received congratulations from French President Emmanuel Macron.
- Other Medalists:
- American swimmer Carson Foster won bronze in the medley final.
- Foster was impressed by Marchand’s performance and the electrifying French crowd.
- Additional U.S. Achievements:
- In the men’s 100-meter breaststroke, Nic Fink tied with British Olympian Adam Peaty for silver.
- They finished just behind Italian Nicolo Martinenghi, who secured Italy’s first gold at these Games.
- Fink’s Experience:
- Fink described his surprise silver performance as a close and thrilling race.
- The race’s competitive nature had all participants finishing within a fraction of a second.
Frenchman Léon Marchand thrilled a packed La Défense Arena with an Olympic record time of 4:02.95 in the 400-meter individual medley, breaking Michael Phelps’ previous record. The 22-year-old, who trains in the U.S. under Bob Bowman, dominated the event, earning France’s first swimming gold since 2012. Marchand described the experience as a dream come true, overwhelmed by the deafening support of the home crowd.
Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita took silver, while American Carson Foster secured bronze. Marchand’s win was part of a sensational night of swimming that also saw American Torri Huske win gold in the women’s 100-meter butterfly, with fellow American Gretchen Walsh taking silver. Huske, who narrowly missed the podium in the last Olympics, expressed immense gratitude and disbelief at her victory, sharing the podium with her teammate and China’s Zhang Yufei, who won bronze.
The evening was a celebration of outstanding performances, with Marchand’s victory particularly resonating with the French fans who chanted and sang in support. Marchand is expected to compete in several more events, including the 200 IM, 200 butterfly, and 200 breaststroke, further bolstering his status as a national hero.
Vive la France! Léon Marchand fulfills the hopes of his nation with a swimming gold in 400 IMNANTERRE, France (AP) — Leon Marchand carried the comparisons to Michael Phelps and the hopes of a nation on his broad shoulders.
The 22-year-antique Frenchman dealt with all of it with ease, putting himself as much as be one in every of the largest stars of the Paris Olympics.
With a flag-waving crowd cheering his each stroke, Marchand introduced a swimming gold for France with a dominating victory withinside the men’s 400-meter character medley Sunday night.
Marchand became beforehand as quickly as his head popped from the water and he regularly pulled farfar from the sphere in what became basically separate races: Marchand going against The clock and all of us else competing for silver and bronze.
“I started very, very fast,” he said. “I didn’t look at the other lanes. I was focused on myself.”
Marchand become below world-document tempo at the very last flip however dwindled a chunk coming home, touching in four minutes, 2.ninety five seconds — an Olympic document, however simply shy of his own world mark of 4:02.50. Marchand claimed that vaunted standard at last year’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, erasing the record held by Phelps for 15 years.He said that he watched the race with All of his own circle of relatives and all of them screamed once I won,” Marchand stated via a translator.
Huske and Walsh go 1-2 for the U.S. women in the 100 butterfly
Not lengthy after Marchand walked off deck, Torri Huske knocked off world-file holder Gretchen Walsh withinside the women’s one hundred butterfly, the use of a sturdy end to get her fingers to the Wall simply beforehand of her teammate in a 1-2 end for the United States.
Léon Marchand’s stunning performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics has cemented his status as a national hero and drawn inevitable comparisons to Michael Phelps. The 22-year-old French swimmer shattered the Olympic record in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:02.95, besting the previous record set by Phelps in 2008. Marchand led from start to finish, ultimately winning by more than five seconds ahead of Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita, who took silver, and American Carson Foster, who secured bronze.
Marchand, who trains under Phelps’ former coach Bob Bowman at Arizona State University, has followed a remarkable path to success. Initially uninterested in competitive swimming despite his parents’ Olympic medley backgrounds, he became serious about the sport after winning his first French national championship at 17. Cold-emailing Bowman in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic led to an opportunity to train in the U.S., which Marchand seized eagerly.
In 2023, Marchand broke Phelps’ long-standing world record in the 400 IM, setting the stage for his Olympic triumph. His victory in Paris, achieved amid deafening cheers from a home crowd, showcased his mental resilience and preparation. Despite the intense pressure of competing in his home country’s Olympics, Marchand maintained focus with the help of a mental coach and breathing techniques.
The night also saw American swimmers Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh clinch gold and silver, respectively, in the women’s 100-meter butterfly, and Nic Fink tie with Great Britain’s Adam Peaty for silver in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke, behind Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi.
While the comparisons to Phelps will persist, Marchand’s extraordinary debut suggests he is well on his way to establishing his own legacy in the sport. He is set to compete in additional events, including the 200 IM, 200 breaststroke, and 200 butterfly, as well as relays later in the week.
The cheers for Léon Marchand thundered inside La Defense Arena on Sunday, creating an electrifying atmosphere before the 400-meter individual medley. The French crowd roared as he sat in the call room, appeared poolside, and ascended the starting block. As Marchand rocketed past seven other swimmers, displaying a ruthless, envious elegance, the French cheering section sang “La Marseillaise” and chanted his name. Marchand played to the crowd, raising his hands high and waving, further energizing the spectators.
Barely four minutes after diving into the pool, Marchand climbed out to the sight of waving French flags. The son of two Olympic swimmers from France, he captured his first gold medal at his home Games, setting an Olympic record with a time of 4:02.95. This victory came just a year after he broke Michael Phelps’s last remaining world record in the 400 individual medley. Since then, Marchand’s fame has soared, cementing his status as the dominant male swimmer in the world.
Marchand led the race from the start, expanding his advantage in the backstroke, widening it in the breaststroke, and finishing with a powerful freestyle leg, ultimately winning by about six seconds. “It seemed like a football stadium,” stated Carson Foster, the American swimmer who gained bronze. Foster added that swimming alongside Marchand while he achieved this feat in his home country would be a memorable experience.
After the race, Marchand took a call from French President Emmanuel Macron, who congratulated him on the victory. Standing in his Team France warmups, Marchand listened as Macron told him he had watched the race with his family. This moment underscored the national pride and joy that Marchand’s achievement brought to France, marking the beginning of what promises to be a remarkable Olympic career for the young swimmer.