Léon Marchand: the birth of a legend at the Olympic Games 2024
Léon Marchand achieves a historic feat at the Paris 2024 Olympics, winning two gold medals in the space of two hours after already claiming a first gold in the 400m 4-swim. This three-time Olympic champion embodies the birth of a new sporting legend.
On July 28, Léon Marchand made history at the 2024 Olympic Games by winning his first Olympic gold medal in the 400m 4-swim, his favorite race. The 22-year-old from Toulouse literally flew through the competition, setting a new Olympic record with an impressive time of 4’02″95. Alone in the world, he demonstrated exemplary mastery and concentration, launching his quest for gold in the finest possible way. This performance confirms his status as favourite. It also laid the foundations for what was to become a historic feat just a few days later. Indeed, on Wednesday July 31, La Défense Arena became the scene of an unprecedented feat. Léon Marchand won 2 gold medals in the space of 2 hours, in 2 different events .
What races for Léon Marchand at the 2024 Olympics!
At 8.40pm, Léon Marchand first won the 200m butterfly. The swimmer beat Hungarian world record-holder Kristof Milak with a breathtaking finish. But he didn’t stop there. 2 hours later, at 10.30pm, he was back in the water for the 200m breaststroke, this time against Zac Stubblety-Cook, reigning Olympic champion in Australia. Léon dominated the final from start to finish, displaying impressive technical mastery. With a time of 2’05″85, he smashed the Olympic record, adding a third gold medal to his tally as well as the 26ᵉ for the French delegation. French fans at the Défense Arena exploded with joy as Léon emerged from the water, his face relaxed and his fist raised in victory!
More medals to come?
But the competition isn’t over yet, as Léon Marchand will be lining up in the 200m 4-swimming event starting on Thursday, in which he is the two-time reigning world champion, as well as the 4x100m 4-swimming relay with his French teammates starting on Saturday. Already making history, Léon Marchand is dreaming even bigger. He could become the first French athlete to win more than 4 gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Léon Marchand already joins the exclusive circle of Frenchmen who have won three gold medals in the same Summer Games, joining such legends as Paul Masson, Roger Ducret and Robert Charpentier.
