Leon Marchand Crowned European Sportsperson of the Year: A Champion’s Triumph in Swimming

ANKARA

French athlete Leon Marchand, who earned four gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, was awarded the 2024 Polish Press Agency’s (PAP) European Sportsperson of the Year on Thursday.

PAP announced on its website that, in a ballot conducted by 21 press agencies including Anadolu, Marchand, aged 22, garnered 155 points to claim the accolade.

Marchand surpassed Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar, who triumphed in the 2024 Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France championships. Pogacar, 26, finished with 148 points.

Globally renowned Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, 25, secured third place with 142 points.

Duplantis, the world record holder in pole vaulting, won an Olympic gold at the Paris Games.

A substantial number of renowned athletes participated in the 2024 voting, including Formula 1 sensation Max Verstappen from the Netherlands, Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic, Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, Denver Nuggets’ Serbian basketball prodigy Nikola Jokic, and Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek.

Swiatek, 23, who clinched the 2024 French Open (Roland Garros) women’s singles title, ranked 23rd in the polls.

During the Paris Olympics, Marchand triumphed in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke, 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, and 400-meter individual medley.

Furthermore, he achieved an Olympic bronze medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the Games.​​​​​​​

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