Already Olympic champion in the 400-meter individual medley, Léon Marchand made history on Wednesday, July 31, by winning the 200 m butterfly and the 200 m breaststroke. In just under two hours, under the cheers of the crowd, the 22-year-old swimmer claimed two gold medals.
There are evenings when time seems to stand still, when we witness unimaginable feats. Léon Marchand achieved this feat. On Wednesday, July 31, in two hours and two Marseillaise, the swimmer delivered a legendary performance, etching his name in the history of French sports and the Olympic Games. In just 114 minutes, he won gold in the 200 m butterfly and the 200 m breaststroke, forever winning the hearts of the French.
After his Olympic victory in the 400 m individual medley on Sunday, the Toulousain equaled the records of Marie-José Pérec, Tony Estanguet, and Teddy Riner, while surpassing his predecessors with an unprecedented performance.
At 8:37 PM, Marchand dove into the pool at the Paris La Défense Arena for his first race of the evening. His main rival, Kristof Milak, the reigning Olympic champion, led the race up to the 150 meters. But Marchand, thanks to a spectacular underwater phase, caught up and overtook him, winning the race with a new Olympic record of 1 min 51 s 21.
Galvanized by the fervor of the 16,000 spectators, Marchand followed up with the 200 m breaststroke, completing the distance in 2 min 05 s 85, another Olympic record. He outpaced the Australian Zac Stubblety-Cook and the Dutchman Caspar Corbeau, adding a third gold medal to his record.
On Friday, Léon Marchand could become the first French athlete to win four Olympic gold medals in a single edition of the Games. The success story continues for this exceptional swimmer.