Leon Marchand fulfilled what French followers might take into account his future by claiming his fourth gold medal of the Paris Video games in his dwelling nation, successful the boys’s 200m particular person medley in Olympic report time.
Cheered on by a delirious crowd at La Protection Area on Friday, Marchand took management from the second leg of the backstroke, prolonged his lead into the breaststroke after which cruised to the end in 1 minute, 54.06 seconds — simply 0.06 seconds shy of Ryan Lochte’s 13-year-old report.
Britain’s Duncan Scott received silver, greater than a second behind Marchand, whereas defending Chinese language champion Wang Shun took bronze.
The victory made Marchand the primary French athlete to win 4 particular person golds, reasonably than one workforce gold, at a single Summer time Video games and solely the third male swimmer to take action after Individuals Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.
The 22-year-old received the 400m particular person medley final Sunday after which the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke within the house of an unbelievable two hours on Wednesday.
The excessive expectations might have been an excessive amount of for different swimmers at their dwelling video games, however Marchand simply drew vitality from them and lived as much as his nickname, the French Michael Phelps.
‘Now he guidelines France’
A delighted French President Emmanuel Macron raised his fist in celebration from the nation’s flag-filled terraces.
“It was my final singles last, so I stated to myself: I’ve to essentially get pleasure from this,” Marchand advised reporters.
“I had much more vitality than yesterday so I felt higher, extra relaxed.
“I actually needed to have enjoyable in my final last and I did, in order that was large.”
As he had completed thrice earlier than, the 22-year-old from Toulouse took to the rostrum and sang the Marseillaise as your entire stadium cheered him on.
“It looks like Leon’s identify is now within the nationwide anthem, which is nice,” stated Scott, who prolonged his British report haul to eight Olympic medals.
“Though what Phelps did was fairly sensational, he by no means did it in his dwelling nation, so now he’s turning into one thing of a worldwide celebrity. He now guidelines France.”
Marchand-mania! 🥇
Leon Marchand finishes near the world report and wins #gold for France within the males’s 200m particular person medley. 🇫🇷
The 22-year-old captured his fourth gold of #Paris2024.@FranceOlympique | @WorldAquatics | #Swim #Samsung | #TogetherForTomorrow picture.twitter.com/I39kwQqL9l
— The Olympic Video games (@Olympics) August 2, 2024
Kaylee McKeown completes backstroke double, once more
Minutes earlier than Marchand entered the pool, Australia’s Kaylee McKeown retained her 200m title with an Olympic report time 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 “by no means in 1,000,000 years” might he have dreamed of finishing the Olympic backstroke double – twice.
The 23-year-old achieved the uncommon feat after successful gold within the 100m to match her exploits from Tokyo, with the modest swimmer having gone unchallenged in two Olympics with 4 golds in 4 particular person occasions.
No Australian swimmer, male or feminine, had ever accomplished the 100-200 metre backstroke double at consecutive Olympic Video games.
“Not in 1,000,000 years,” he stated in Paris after being requested if he had ever imagined such an achievement.
“After I was a toddler, I at all times idolized my sister. [Taylor] and Emily Seebohm and see what they do in sports activities,” she stated.
McEvoy beats Proud to win 50m freestyle gold
McKewon’s compatriot Cameron McEvoy edged out Britain’s Ben Proud to win gold within the males’s 50m freestyle.
McEvoy received in a time of 21.25 seconds, adopted by Proud 0.05 seconds behind to take silver and France’s Florent Manaudou accumulating bronze.
For Manaudou, it was the fourth consecutive Video games through which he received a medal within the shorter freestyle occasion.
McEvoy, 30, received his first Olympic gold after claiming two relay bronze medals in Rio and a 3rd in Tokyo.
The Queensland athlete opted to focus his consideration solely on the 50m freestyle after Tokyo, radically altering his coaching routine to raised go well with the explosive race.