All You Need To Know About ‘French Phelps’
It was indeed a “perfect week” for Leon Marchand, the French swimmer after achieving a remarkable feat at the Paris Olympics 2024. By showcasing a dominant performance, the young lad secured his fourth medal in the 200m individual medley on Friday.
The Frenchman became the first male swimmer since American record breaker Micheal Phelps at Beijing 2008 to win four individual golds in a single Games.
Read also: Manu Bhaker’s Coach Samaresh Jungs Gets Demolition Notice After Returning From Paris Olympics
It was yet another memorable night for the host nation as French President Emmanuel Macron was present among the crowd celebrating the latest night of glory for the 22-year-old.
Marchant after winning the night said, “I don’t think anything went wrong this week. It was just perfect”.
He had already clinched gold medals in the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke, along with the 400m individual medley.
The French man’s winning time of 1 min 54.06 sec not only earned him the gold but also set an Olympic record and he now stands as the second fastest time ever recorded in the event.
Marchant is trained by Phelps’ former coach, Bob Bowman, and the American was searching for superlatives to describe the week’s work from his summer.
The thunderous chanting of Marchant’s name could be heard across La Defense Arena after the win.
Marchand, who had earlier met Phelps on several occasions had received swimming tips from him.
Later a behind-the-scenes video was posted on social media in which the USA athlete was seen jumping in the studio while watching Marchand’s historic double in the 200m butterfly and breaststroke on Wednesday.
Read also: Centre Denies Punjab Chief Minister Travel Permission To Watch Paris Olympics
“He sent me some messages after the 400 IM. He was so impressed and he was just really happy for me,” Marchand said. “And then I saw this
video of him just commenting on my race, just jumping around and just screaming. I thought it was really funny and I just really appreciate this guy.”
His dominance over the next Olympic cycle is expected to be an exciting prospect for the swimming world as many of the athletes in his generation are now all fired up to challenge the Paris 2024 star.
