Team France sent numerous high-caliber athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympics, but one team member achieved something unprecedented on Wednesday. Division 1 Arizona State swimmer and French native Leon Marchand put forth an incredible comeback in the 200-meter butterfly event to claim his first gold medal. Then, about two hours later, he won gold in the 200m breaststroke. He became the first swimmer in history to win medals in the respective events in the same Olympics, per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.
Leon Marchand electrified the French crowd
Check out the moment Marchand sent the French crowd into a frenzy with his 200m fly comeback, shown by NBC Olympics and Paralympics’ X (formerly Twitter) account:
Marchand trailed slightly going into the second half of the race, but the energy of the crowd helped him surge ahead and pass the competition. He finished the 200m swim with a time of 1:51:21, just in front of Hungary’s 2022 world champion Kristof Milak, who came in at 1:51:75, per NBC Olympics. Canada’s Illya Kharun earned the third and final spot for bronze with a 1:52:80.
Leon Marchand’s impressive feat marked his second gold medal of the 2024 Olympics. He won his first with Team France’s 400m medley victory earlier on in the Games. But his energy continued into the 200m breaststroke, where he earned his third gold of 2024. Marchand still has the 200m medley to compete in.
The 22-year-old is the 2023 world champion in the 200m fly and faced a world-record holder in Kristof Milak on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if Marchand can get the French crowd electrified again in his next event.
Marchand has competed for the Arizona State Swim & Dive team for three seasons. A Toulouse, France native, Marchand is the son of Xavier Marchand and Celine Bonnet, both of whom were Olympic swimmers. Furthermore, Marchand is trained by none other than American swimming legend Michael Phelps.
Marchand holds several high-caliber accolades including the following: five-time World Aquatics champion, three-time CSCAA Division 1 Swimmer of the Year, 10-time NCAA champion, 17-time Pac-12 champion, and 21-time CSCAA All-American, per his Arizona State Athletics bio.
He looks to make more history and add a fourth gold medal to his repertoire when he competes in the 200m medley on August 1.
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