Paris Olympics: Decoding the dominance of French swimmer Leon Marchand
French swimmer Leon Marchand has taken the 2024 Paris Olympics by storm. The 22-year-old has clinched as many as four gold medals in his maiden Olympic campaign, leaving the world jaw-dropped. Marchand made and shattered several records in his dream campaign. His brilliance also drew numerous comparisons with Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time. Let's decode Marchand's dream run.
Marchand upset Milak
Marchand's first gold came in the 200m butterfly event. It was indeed a jaw-dropping win for the French ace as he was a body length behind Hungarian great Kristof Milak with 50m to go. While Milak's win looked certain until the last turn, Marchand went ahead out of nowhere and finished first. It was one of the greatest last laps in the Olympics.
Triumph in 200m breaststroke event
One hour after clinching the butterfly event, Marchand replicated his heroics in the 200m breaststroke race. The French star showcased no signs of tiredness as he led the race from first lap to the last and won by nearly a second. The pair of victories made Marchand the first swimmer since 1976 to clinch two individual gold medals on the same day.
The other two triumphs
Marchand's third goal came in the 400m individual medley. The French star led for the entire race and broke Michael Phelps' Olympic record with a time of 4:02.95. Marchand then won the 200m individual medley in front of an ecstatic home crowd. The 22-year-old won in 1min 54.06sec, the second-fastest time in history and an Olympic record.
Marchand scripted these records
Marchand became just the fourth swimmer to win two individual Olympic golds on the same day. He joined Kornelia Ender, Frederick Lane, and Alfred Hajos. He also became the fourth swimmer ever to win at least four individual golds at the same Games. He joined Phelps (5 in 2008, 4 in 2004), Mark Spitz (4 in 1972), and Kristen Otto (4 in 1988).
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Notably, Phelps overall tallied eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing games as three of his honors came in team events. He had two golds in team events in the 2004 edition.
Olympic record holder in all events
Marchand will wrap up his individual campaign as the Olympic record holder of the men's 400m IM, 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly and, 200m IM. Notably, Marchand broke Phelps' all-time Olympic record in the 400m individual medley and 200m individual medley.
