Leon Marchand: Crowned Europe’s Aquatic Superstar of the Year!

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The male European competitors excelled at the Paris Olympics. Over four days of contests, they secured gold in every individual event, with the sole exception being the 4×100 freestyle relay on the inaugural day of the competition.

However, Leon Marchand stood out among his rivals for this Swammy, delivering a spectacular performance over eight days as he captured four individual Olympic gold medals before his home supporters.

Since breaking Michael Phelps’s 400 IM world record at the 2023 World Championships, Marchand had been acclaimed as the emblem of the Games for host nation France. It was a distinct kind of pressure for Marchand as he approached his second Olympics, which brought a dramatic surge in attention since Marchand’s international breakthrough in 2022.

The 22-year-old met the pressure with flair. His initial event of the Games was the 400 IM on the second day, where he clinched his first Olympic medal in gold, finishing in 4:02.95 to shatter Phelps’ Olympic record from 2008. The crowd’s support for Marchand echoed beyond the arena; at the table tennis venue throughout Paris, the audience began chanting his name as well.

This was only the beginning of many medals for Marchand. On the fifth day of the Games, he completed his extraordinary double victory, winning gold in both the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke, achieving Olympic record times in both events. In the 200 fly, Marchand mounted a comeback in the final 50 meters, overtaking world record holder and defending Olympic champion Kristof Milak. He finished in 1:51.21, making him the second-fastest swimmer in history.

Shortly after, he was back in the water for the 200 breaststroke, a race which he controlled from start to finish. His time of 2:05.85 set a European record along with an Olympic record, and this swim made him the first swimmer to claim two golds in the same session since Kornelia Ender in 1976. Marchand finished his individual competitions with the 200 IM, where he surged to victory in 1:54.06 for his fourth Olympic record of the meet, falling just six-hundredths short of Ryan Lochte’s world record.

The cheers from the audience for Marchand intensified with each event as Marchand Fever took over the city—fans even started incorporating his name into “La Marseillaise” whenever the anthem was played for him. The supporters received one last opportunity to cheer for Marchand and the French swimmers on the final day, when Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, Marchand, Maxime Grousset, and Florent Manaudou secured bronze in the men’s 4×100 medley relay, achieving a national record of 3:28.38.

With substantial expectations placed on Marchand prior to the Games, he certainly delivered, putting forth an Olympic performance that will be remembered in history and energizing the streets of Paris.

Notable Mentions:

• Daniel Wiffen, Ireland: Mona McSharry set the stage for Ireland on the third day of the competition, earning the nation’s first medal since 1996 with bronze in the women’s 100 breaststroke. Daniel Wiffen continued Ireland’s momentum the following day, clinching gold in the men’s 800 freestyle. Wiffen managed to fend off a charging Bobby Finke and touched in 7:38.19, establishing European and Olympic records with the fifth-fastest swim ever. This swim made him the first Irishman to earn a medal in the pool and the country’s first gold medallist since 1996. He ascended the podium again in the 1500 freestyle, finishing 14:39.63 for bronze. Earlier this year, Wiffen had secured double gold in the 800/1500 freestyle at the 2024 World Championships.
• Kristof Milak, Hungary: There was immense pressure on Marchand leading up to the Games, but few had an idea of what was to come from Milak. The Hungarian Olympic champion and world record holder faced a tumultuous lead-up to the Olympics, and there was uncertainty about his form heading into Paris. Unable to halt Marchand’s momentum, Milak claimed silver in his signature event, the 200 butterfly, with a time of 1:51.75. Although it was certainly disappointing not to find himself on the top step of the Olympic podium again, Milak rebounded. In the men’s 100 butterfly, a fiercely competitive final unfolded, and he executed an impressive charge from fourth at the turn to finish first in 49.90, dipping under 50 seconds for the second time in his career. This marks his second Olympic gold and an improved podium placement after earning silver in Tokyo.
• David Popovici, Romania: David Popovici was at the pinnacle of the swimming world in 2022, yet faced a challenging international year in 2023, falling short of medals in his primary events, the 100 and 200 freestyle, which he had previously set world and world junior records in the year before. Popovici was still a teenager when he arrived in Paris for his second Olympics and dealt with the same mix of expectations and uncertainty hovering around both Marchand and Milak. Rising to the challenge of the competitive 100 and 200 freestyle fields, Popovici prevailed in one of the closest races of the Games, capturing his first Olympic medal in gold with a time of 1:44.72, finishing just ahead of Matt Richards by two-hundredths. He also managed to reach the podium in the 100 freestyle. As Pan Zhanle sped off for gold, the second to fourth places were separated by a mere two-hundredths. Once again, Popovici reached the wall for a medal, securing bronze in 47.49.