Four strokes for a fourth gold medal: life is a breeze when your name is Leon Marchand and you dive into the Olympic pool. For his fourth individual final at these Games, the Toulousain once again pulled out all the stops in the 200m individual medley on Friday, August 2. Two days after his historic double in the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke, the 22-year-old French swimmer bagged his fourth individual gold medal with a time of 1:54.06, setting a new Olympic record.

He outpaced Britain’s Duncan Scott and China’s Shun Wang to clinch gold with a standout performance. Duncan Scott, who took silver with a time of 1:55.31, mirrored his Tokyo 2020 result, while China’s reigning champion, Wang Shun, earned bronze with a time of 1:56.10.

Securing gold in the 200m individual medley, he didn’t just snag the top prize – he blew Michael Phelps’ previous record of 1:54.23 set in Beijing out of the water. And finally, he became the first French athlete to snag four individual golds at a single Summer Games, joining the elite ranks of American legends Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.

His record-setting performance places him a hair’s breadth – just 0.06 seconds – behind Ryan Lochte’s world record, which has been rock solid since 2011. During the 50-meter race Marchand was, in a battle with his competitors. However as he reached the 100 meter mark he started to gain an advantage eventually pulling ahead by a body length, at the 150 meter mark.

As he approached the lap it became evident that he was bound to emerge victorious more. Having secured three gold medals already Marchand displays unwavering determination. Remains a force, in the sport. This triumph ignited the enthusiasm of the audience with 15,000 supporters cheering on and even President Emmanuel Macron of France joining in the revelry.

History was again repeated by Leon Marchand after Wednesday’s triumph

Wednesday was a day, for Marchand as he won gold in both the 200m breaststroke and 200m butterfly events sparking celebrations throughout the country. The athlete’s impressive performance, in the 200m butterfly race followed by his finish in the 200m breaststroke just hours later left spectators in awe.

The five-time world champion, who was relatively unknown outside swimming circles before these Olympics, has become a national hero in just a week. Reflecting on his achievements, Marchand expressed a mix of disbelief and joy, acknowledging the doubts he faced. “The 200 butterfly was crazy. I had a really good race strategy. I managed to stay fairly close to the favorite and really caught him…with the pool on fire. It was pretty crazy to experience that as a French swimmer,” he said. As the La Défense Arena roared with cheers and “La Marseillaise,”

Marchand maintained his composure, embodying both his remarkable physical prowess and relaxed demeanor. Trained by Michael Phelps’ former coach, Bob Bowman, Marchand is poised to continue his historic run with the next race too, already setting his sights on the next challenge.

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