Leon Marchand fulfilled what French fans might regard as destiny as he swept to a fourth gold medal at his home Paris Games with another dominant victory in the men’s 200m individual medley on Friday.
Roared on by a delirious crowd at La Defense Arena, Marchand took down Michael Phelps’s Olympic record from Beijing 2008 with a blistering swim of 1 minute 54.06 seconds, 0.06 seconds short of Ryan Lochte’s world record.
“It was my last individual final so I said to myself, I really have to enjoy it,” Marchand told reporters.
Photo: AFP
“I had a lot more energy than yesterday so I felt better, more relaxed.
“And I really wanted to have fun in my last final and it happened, so it was huge.”
Britain’s Duncan Scott won the silver, more than a second behind Marchand, while China’s defending champion Wang Shun took the bronze.
The win made Marchand the first French athlete to take four individual golds, as opposed to team ones, at a single Summer Games and only the third male swimmer to do so after US’ Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.
After touching the wall to deafening cheers, Marchand held up four fingers as French President Emmanuel Macron raised his arms and punched the air from the terraces.
‘FRENCH MICHAEL PHELPS’
France’s first swimmer to win a medley gold, Marchand triumphed nearly 30 years after his father Xavier became the first Frenchman to reach an Olympic final at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
He won the 400 individual medley on Sunday last week and then both the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke within two incredible hours on Wednesday.
Just as he had done three times before, the 22-year-old from Toulouse mounted the podium and belted out the Marseillaise with the entire stadium accompanying him.
“Leon’s name’s now in the national anthem it seems, which is pretty cool,” said Scott, who extended his British record haul to eight Olympic medals.
“As much as what Phelps did was pretty sensational, he never did it in his home country and so he’s becoming a sort of global superstar now. He kind of runs France now,” he said.
The great expectations might have been too much for other swimmers at their home Games, but Marchand only drew energy from them as he lived up to his nickname the “French Michael Phelps.”
Coached by Bob Bowman, the man who helped Phelps to greatness, Marchand was asked if he was comfortable with comparisons with the American great and replied: “He’s a legend of the swimming world and he will always be.”
“I met Michael last year. He was an amazing guy to me,” he added. “He gave me a lot of advice... I don’t know. It’s just crazy to be compared to those guys.”
It was certainly a Phelps-like performance in the 200 individual medley final.
Marchand took control from the second backstroke leg, stretched his lead through the breaststroke as French fans grunted in unison, then powered home in the freestyle to give the world record a shake.
At 22, the future is bright for the face of the Paris Games.
“It’s not over for me,” said Marchand. “This is just the beginning. I’m really excited. My next goal is the LA ‘28.”
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
RSS