Leon Marchand called it a “perfect week” after winning his fourth gold of the Paris Olympics with an emphatic victory in the 200m individual medley on Friday in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
The Frenchman becomes the first male swimmer since American record-breaker Michael Phelps at Beijing 2008 to win four individual golds in a single Games.
Marchand won in 1min 54.06sec, the second-fastest time in history and an Olympic record, with Britain’s Duncan Scott taking silver and China’s Wang Shun third.
It was another memorable night for the host nation at La Defense Arena with French President Emmanuel Macron among those in the crowd celebrating the latest night of glory for the 22-year-old poster boy.
“I don’t think anything went wrong this week. It was just perfect,” said a beaming Marchand after fans sang La Marseillaise, including the words “Marchand, Marchand”.
Marchand had already pocketed golds in the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke, along with the 400m individual medley, making him the clear favourite in Friday’s race.
China’s Wang, the defending champion, led after the opening butterfly leg but Marchand got himself in front during the backstroke.
He extended his lead with a strong breaststroke 50 before holding on to his advantage in the final, freestyle, leg as the crowd roared him towards the wall.
Marchand is trained by Phelps’ former coach, Bob Bowman, and the American was searching for superlatives to describe the week’s work from his swimmer.
“It was just a complete success in terms of the way I see things. He’s just 100% successful. I’m so very proud of him. It takes a lot to be perfect,” he said.
For Britain’s Scott it was another silver to add to his collection — he finished second to Wang in Tokyo and now has eight Olympic medals.
He said Marchand’s impact on the sport was immeasurable.
“He’s becoming a sort of global superstar now and he kind of runs France now, which is what we’re hearing in the crowd,” he said.
“It’s amazing, and the kid, he’s loved it. You can see he’s doing it with a smile on his face and the crowd’s giving him so much energy, it’s been amazing to witness it,” he said.
The bad news for any rivals hoping that this is a one-off burst of glory in a home pool is that Marchand is already thinking towards 2028.
“It’s not over for me. It’s only the beginning. I’m really excited…. my next goal is LA.”
He will also swim in Paris in two relays.
