“Monumentale” headlines the entire page of l’Equipe and doesn’t even need translation. The French swimming phenomenon Leon Marchand, 22 years old, brought home his fourth gold medal tonight in front of President Macron. A boy from Toulouse who has conquered Paris and all of France, as evidenced by his gesture, which became immediately viral as soon as he emerged from the water: he knew the president was waiting for him, but he still wanted to greet the Defense Arena that was bursting with love. Marchand has made everyone forget Mbappé, and more than a few French can attest to that: Kylian has chosen Real, Leon trains with Phelps’ coach (Bob Bowman) but has decided to keep with him the man who raised him. Today, to see him win the 200 mixed after the 400 freestyle, 200 butterfly, and 200 breaststroke, all with Olympic records, France came to a standstill: there wasn’t a single TV that didn’t broadcast his race, there were no smartphones turned off, and even at Roland Garros, the temple of tennis, when he touched first, the crowd cheered for him.
Leon Marchand, who he is and all his secrets
Twenty-two years old, from Toulouse, he is the son of Xavier Marchand, who participated in two Olympic finals in 1996 (when he finished eighth) and in 2000 (seventh), also winning a world silver medal in 2008. His mother, Céline Bonnet, was a French champion, and his uncle Christophe Marchand was also an Olympic swimmer in 1988 and 1992. The boy who loves manga is reserved and says he gets chills when swimming in packed arenas; he is considered the hero of these games. The Athletic crowned him saying: “This is the superstar and the French sports hero these Olympics needed“. For this reason, many compare him to Mbappé and weigh the sacrifices made by swimmers against those of footballers. Marchand, with his 4 golds in Paris, brings home 320,000 euros from the government along with other prizes. Mbappé makes those figures in just a few hours. Or minutes.
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