Leon Marchand fulfilled what French followers might regard as future as he swept to a fourth gold medal at his dwelling Paris video games by successful the lads’s 200-metre particular person medley in an Olympic file time.
Roared on by a delirious crowd at La Protection Area on Friday, Marchand took management from the second backstroke leg, stretched his lead by the breaststroke, then powered dwelling with a time of 1 minute, 54.06 seconds, solely 0.06 seconds wanting Ryan Lochte’s 13-year file.
Britain’s Duncan Scott received the silver, greater than a second behind Marchand, whereas China’s defending champion Wang Shun took the bronze.
The win made Marchand the primary French athlete to take 4 particular person golds, versus crew ones, at a single Summer season Video games and solely the third male swimmer to take action after People Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.
The 22-year-old received the 400-metre particular person medley final Sunday after which each the 200-metre butterfly and 200-metre breaststroke throughout the house of two unbelievable hours on Wednesday.
The good expectations may need been an excessive amount of for different swimmers at their dwelling video games, however Marchand solely drew power from them and lived as much as his nickname, the French Michael Phelps.
‘He runs France now’
A delighted French President Emmanuel Macron punched his fist within the air in celebration from the terraces filled with the nation’s flags.
“It was my final particular person remaining so I mentioned to myself, I actually must take pleasure in it,” Marchand advised reporters.
“I had much more power than yesterday so I felt higher, extra relaxed.
“And I actually wished to have enjoyable in my final remaining and it occurred, so it was enormous.”
Simply as he had performed thrice earlier than, the 22-year-old from Toulouse mounted the rostrum and belted out the Marseillaise with your entire stadium accompanying him.
“Leon’s identify’s now within the nationwide anthem it appears, which is fairly cool,” mentioned Scott, who prolonged his British file haul to eight Olympic medals.
“As a lot as what Phelps did was fairly sensational, he by no means did it in his dwelling nation and so he’s turning into a form of world famous person now. He type of runs France now.”
Marchand Mania! 🥇
Leon Marchand finishes simply shy of the world file whereas successful #gold for France within the males’s 200m particular person medley. 🇫🇷
The 22-year-old captured his 4th gold of #Paris2024.@FranceOlympique | @WorldAquatics | #Swimming #Samsung | #TogetherforTomorrow pic.twitter.com/I39kwQqL9l
— The Olympic Video games (@Olympics) August 2, 2024
Kaylee McKeown completes backstroke double – once more
A couple of minutes earlier than Marchand took to the pool, Australia’s Kaylee McKeown retained her 200-metre title in an Olympic file of two minutes 03.73 seconds forward of American Regan Smith (2:04.26) and Canada’s Kylie Masse (2:05.57).
McKeown admitted that “not in one million years” may she have dreamed of finishing the Olympic backstroke double – twice.
The 23-year-old achieved the uncommon feat after successful the 100-metre gold to match her exploits from Tokyo, with the unassuming swimmer flawless over two Olympics with 4 golds from 4 particular person occasions.
No Australian swimmer, man or lady, had ever accomplished the 100-200-metre backstroke double at consecutive Olympics.
“Not in one million years,” she mentioned in Paris after being requested if she had ever envisaged such an accomplishment.
“Rising up, I’ve all the time simply idolised my sister [Taylor] and Emily Seebohm and seeing what they do within the sport,” she mentioned.
McEvoy pips Proud to 50-metre freestyle gold
McKewon’s compatriot Cameron McEvoy pipped Britain’s Ben Proud to win gold within the males’s 50-metre freestyle.
McEvoy received with a time of 21.25 seconds, with Proud 0.05 seconds behind to take silver and France’s Florent Manaudou accumulating bronze.
For Manaudou, it was the fourth straight video games by which he has earned a medal within the shortest of the freestyle occasions.
The 30-year-old McEvoy received his first Olympic gold after selecting up two bronze medals in relays in Rio and a 3rd in Tokyo.
The Queenslander opted to change his focus purely to the 50-metre freestyle after Tokyo, radically altering his coaching routine to finest swimsuit the explosive race.
