PARIS – The celebration for Léon Marchand extended far beyond the pool, enveloping the entire city of Paris.
At the Stade de France, during the first night of track and field events, the crowd erupted in applause as Marchand claimed his fourth Olympic gold medal. The ovation was so intense that it caused a delay in the first heat of the 400-meter race in the decathlon.
Approximately 20,000 people gathered outside the French Olympic House to watch Marchand’s dominant performance in the pool, including 19-year-old Arthur Orsel.
“He’s a hero,” Orsel said. “He’s our hero.”
With French President Emmanuel Macron and over 15,000 fans cheering him on from the rugby stadium-turned-aquatics center, Marchand secured another stunning victory in the 200-meter individual medley on Friday night.
“I believe everything went flawlessly this week,” said Marchand. “It was truly perfect.”
The 22-year-old French swimmer solidified his legacy as one of the standout stars of the Summer Games in his homeland, finishing the race in an impressive Olympic record time of 1:54.06, narrowly missing Ryan Lochte’s 13-year-old world record.
This was almost the only feat he didn’t accomplish during six magical days at La Défense Arena, having previously won the 400 IM, 200 butterfly, and 200 backstroke – the latter two within nearly two hours apart in one session.
Marchand became only the fourth swimmer in Olympic history to win four individual golds in a single event.
Who are the others? Michael Phelps, who did it in both 2004 and 2008; Mark Spitz in 1972; and East Germany’s Kristin Otto in 1988.
“Incredible company to be in.”
“It’s crazy. These guys are legends,” Marchand said. “I don’t think I’ve realized it yet. Maybe I will in a few days.”
The silver medal went to Britain’s Duncan Scott, who finished a body length behind in 1:55.31. China’s Wang Shun claimed bronze with a time of 1:56.00, edging out American Carson Foster for a spot on the podium.
What a night for France!
A packed house at La Défense Arena came to cheer their favorite son once again. They chanted, sang “Sweet Caroline,” waved the French tricolor, and unveiled a giant tifo in the upper deck.
After touching the wall, Marchand held up four fingers – one for each gold. He climbed out of the pool, pumped his fists, and then spread his arms as if to say, “What more do you want?”
Nothing.
He had done it all, surpassing the expectations of his country and comparisons to Phelps, who was there to cheer him on. What could have been a burden for some athletes pushed Marchand to even greater heights.
During Friday’s celebration, Macron shook hands with Marchand and sent his congratulations via social media.
“The French don’t believe in the impossible!” Macron exclaimed in French. “Four home gold medals and a new Olympic record—this is historic. This is Léon Marchand.”
Marchand certainly enjoyed his moment, encouraged by his American coach Bob Bowman – Phelps’ coach.
Before climbing to the top step of the podium once again, he rallied the fans behind the podium to cheer. The crowd delivered the most passionate rendition of “La Marseillaise” yet – although they had plenty of opportunities to practice the French national anthem this week.
As the anthem ended, chants of “Léon! Léon! Léon!” rang out. Someone held up a sign that read “Merci Léon.”
“I’m very proud to be French,” Marchand said.
McEvoy and McKeown clinched gold for Australia
Before Marchand’s win, Cameron McEvoy and Kaylee McKeown secured more gold medals for Australia.
McEvoy won the 50 freestyle, denying Caeleb Dressel a repeat gold in swimming’s most thrilling event. McKeown triumphed in the 200 backstroke, becoming the first female swimmer to sweep the backstroke events in two consecutive Summer Games.
When asked if she envisioned such an achievement, McKeown said, “Not in a million years.”
McEvoy became the first Australian man to win gold at these Games, and McKeown quickly brought her country’s total to seven golds – the most in the Olympics, three more than the United States and Marchand combined.
McKeown highlighted the incredible time for women’s sports, following in the footsteps of athletes like Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark in raising the profile of female athletes.
“This year has been incredible not just for Aussie girls, but for the entire world and women’s sports,” McKeown said. “It’s great to be a part of it.”
McEvoy finished the race in 21.25 seconds, edging out Britain’s Benjamin Proud by five-hundredths of a second. France’s Florent Manaudou thrilled the home crowd by winning bronze in 21.56 seconds. Dressel, who won five golds at the Tokyo Olympics, finished sixth in 21.61 seconds.
McKeown came back just like in the 100 backstroke to defeat evergreen American runner-up Regan Smith. The winning time of 2:03.73 was an Olympic record, breaking the mark set by Missy Franklin at the 2012 London Games.
Another silver for Smith
Smith earned the fifth silver of her career, along with one bronze, in 2:04.26. She has yet to win a gold medal.
Canada’s Kylie Masse took the bronze in 2:05.57.
Smith insisted she was satisfied with the result, even though gold remained out of reach.
“If I had gotten silver and was a second behind, I think I would have been very disappointed in myself because I didn’t put my best out there. I wasn’t able to do that,” Smith said. “It’s one of my fastest times ever. I think I really pushed Kylie, and I made things very close and exciting. So I’m thrilled with it.”
Dressel lagged behind
The American star qualified for two individual events but won’t win medals in either.
Shortly after his sixth-place finish in the 50 freestyle, he returned to the pool for the semifinals of the 100 butterfly – another event he won in Tokyo.
Dressel couldn’t pull off the tough double, clocking only the 13th fastest time and missing Saturday night’s final.
He did secure a gold medal for the U.S. in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, his eighth career gold.
It was a disappointing performance for one of Tokyo’s biggest stars, but considering what he’s been through, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
A year after the pandemic-postponed 2021 Olympics, Dressel abruptly left swimming during the World Championships.
He needed a break to rediscover his love for the sport, which still needs some work. Dressel seems happier now, having welcomed his first child nearly five months ago, but he hasn’t regained his lightning-fast pace from three years ago.
“Clearly, it wasn’t my strongest performance,” Dressel admitted. “I’ve enjoyed myself a lot, but this week hasn’t been my best. I believe there’s no reason for me to avoid addressing that directly.”
He has one more relay to swim in Paris, giving him one last chance to win his ninth career gold.
Dressel would like to go out on a high note, as these Games have been “a bit heartbreaking, a bit heartbreaking indeed.”
After exiting the pool deck, he broke down in tears.
