Leon Marchand holds the world record for the men’s 400 meter individual medley swimming event and won the World Championships in that event in 2022 and 2023. But he was missing one thing: the Olympic gold medal. And now he has it, thanks to his victory, which included an Olympic record at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Marchand led throughout the race and broke the Olympic record previously held by Michael Phelps with a time of 4:02.95.
Even before Marchand was announced, the crowd at the La Defense Arena was chanting his name and singing “La Marsellaise“. Marchand raised both arms and waved to the audience.
Once in the pool, Marchand led the entire race. He did not seem to have a weak stroke, as he never allowed any competitor to challenge him in the race. Once his victory was official, Marchand sat at the lane divider and waved to the crowd.
Then, from the moment he stepped onto the podium at the medal ceremony, he showed a wide smile and closed his eyes for a moment as he joined his compatriots to sing the national anthem.
The real battle occurred in the fight for the silver and bronze medals. Japanese swimmer Matsushita Tomoyuki outpaced American Carson Foster by 0.04 seconds to take second place in the final. Meanwhile, British swimmer Max Litchfield finished fourth.
For his part, Chase Kalisz from the United States, who won gold in the 400 m individual medley at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, did not reach the final.