Leon Marchand fulfilled what French fanatics might regard as future as he swept to a fourth gold medal at his house Paris video games through profitable the boys’s 200-metre particular person medley in an Olympic document moment.
Roared on through a delirious folk at Los angeles Protection Area on Friday, Marchand took keep an eye on from the second one backstroke leg, stretched his govern during the breaststroke, later powered house with a moment of one negligible, 54.06 seconds, simplest 0.06 seconds decrease of Ryan Lochte’s 13-year document.
Britain’s Duncan Scott gained the silver, greater than a 2d at the back of Marchand, moment China’s protecting champion Wang Shun took the bronze.
The win made Marchand the primary French athlete to pluck 4 particular person golds, versus staff ones, at a unmarried Summer time Video games and simplest the 3rd male swimmer to take action then American citizens Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.
The 22-year-old gained the 400-metre particular person medley terminating Sunday and later each the 200-metre butterfly and 200-metre breaststroke throughout the area of 2 improbable hours on Wednesday.
The superb expectancies may were excess for alternative swimmers at their house video games, however Marchand simplest drew power from them and lived as much as his nickname, the French Michael Phelps.
‘He runs France now’
A extremely joyful French President Emmanuel Macron punched his fist within the wind in birthday party from the terraces full of the rustic’s flags.
“It was my last individual final so I said to myself, I really have to enjoy it,” Marchand informed newshounds.
“I had a batch extra power than the day before today so I felt higher, extra at ease.
“And I really wanted to have fun in my last final and it happened, so it was huge.”
Simply as he had performed 3 times ahead of, the 22-year-old from Toulouse fixed the rostrum and belted out the Marseillaise with all of the stadium accompanying him.
“Leon’s name’s now in the national anthem it seems, which is pretty cool,” stated Scott, who prolonged his British document haul to 8 Olympic medals.
“As much as what Phelps did was pretty sensational, he never did it in his home country and so he’s becoming a sort of global superstar now. He kind of runs France now.”
Marchand Mania! 🥇
Leon Marchand finishes simply shy of the sector document moment profitable #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 mins ahead of Marchand took to the puddle, Australia’s Kaylee McKeown retained her 200-metre name in an Olympic document of two mins 03.73 seconds forward of American Regan Smith (2:04.26) and Canada’s Kylie Masse (2:05.57).
McKeown admitted that “not in a million years” may she have dreamed of finishing the Olympic backstroke double – two times.
The 23-year-old completed the uncommon feat then profitable the 100-metre gold to check her exploits from Tokyo, with the unassuming swimmer flawless over two Olympics with 4 golds from 4 particular person occasions.
Disagree Australian swimmer, guy or lady, had ever finished the 100-200-metre backstroke double at consecutive Olympics.
“Not in a million years,” she stated in Paris then being requested if she had ever envisaged such an accomplishment.
“Growing up, I’ve always just idolised my sister [Taylor] and Emily Seebohm and seeing what they do in the sport,” she stated.
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 gained with a moment of 21.25 seconds, with Proud 0.05 seconds at the back of to pluck silver and France’s Florent Manaudou amassing bronze.
For Manaudou, it used to be the fourth directly video games by which he has earned a medal within the shortest of the freestyle occasions.
The 30-year-old McEvoy gained his first Olympic gold then choosing up two bronze medals in relays in Rio and a 3rd in Tokyo.
The Queenslander opted to modify his focal point purely to the 50-metre freestyle then Tokyo, radically converting his coaching regimen to highest go well with the explosive race.
