“I couldn’t believe what I did” : Leon Marchand stunned after creating history at Paris Olympics
As if winning three individual gold medals in a single Olympics was not historic enough, Leon Marchand has only gone and added yet another to his collection. He is now the proud holder of the men’s 400m IM, 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly and now the 200m IM, making him the first French Olympian to win four gold medals at the same Olympic games. He also gets included into a category of greatness with Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz. And what better icing on the cake it is than to win it in your home nation.
“I don’t know how I did that, but now I need this time to think about what I just did. It was crazy, once again the public was cheering. It was my last individual race [of these Games] so I told myself I had to really enjoy it.” said the 22-year-old.
The Toulouse born wonderkid ended his individual campaign by winning the 200m individual medley, where he was 0.06 seconds shy of Ryan Lochte’s record which has been held for over two decades. Also, to put even more context over this astonishing feat, Leon Marchand faced the defending Olympics champions in three out of the four races, and ended each of their reigns in some fashion.
“It’s maybe my biggest pride, the ‘me’ from five years ago, with that much pressure, it would have been complicated to manage from the first race. But I came here with a smile and I felt good from the beginning to the end. I managed to handle the pressure without ignoring it,” Marchand said, as quoted by the Paris Olympics.
The Paris La Defense Arena naturally exploded, with notable individuals like French President Emmanuel Macron unable to hold his excitement and pride, as the host nation gained another gold medal. Even Leon Marchand’s rivals had nothing but sincere admiration for him, with Great Britain’s Duncan Scott firmly impressed.
“I liked that I went head-to-head with [Marchand] for a little bit of the race, that guy is the best in the world in the 200m breaststroke, in the 200m butterfly, in the 400m individual medley and [now] in the 200m [IM]. If I’m behind him, then that’s one person that can beat me,” said Scott after the race.
“He was just really happy for me” : Leon Marchand after receiving praise from Michael Phelps
Winning numerous accolades and gaining international recognition at such an age can only lead one to be compared to what many consider is the greatest athlete of all time, Michael Phelps. It may as well be of no coincidence that Marchand is coached by Bob Bowman, the legendary American trainer who once helped Phelps develop his talents and innate potential. After his win, the 22-year-old also said that he plans to keep on working with Bowman.
“I rank him at the top right now, He’s got the speed, he’s got the endurance. He’s not even reached his potential.” said Bowman about the young Frenchman.
Leon Marchand broke two of Michael Phelps’ records in Paris which were held for more than two decades. He also revealed that Phelps was sending him messages and was really pleased by his success.
“He was just really happy for me, I saw this video of him commentating [on] my race, just jumping around and screaming. I thought it was really funny and I just really appreciate this guy.” he said.
When asked about already being compared to Michael Phelps, the 22-year-old had a humble reply to the question and said it was a huge honor, while praising Phelp’s greatness.
“Of course, he is a legend of the swimming world – and he will always be.” were the exact words of the young gem. Although his legendary individual campaign is over, Leon Marchand is expected to swim again in a team relay final, eyeing for another gold medal.
