The Sun-kissed Sun Devil leaves the
Olympics as the newest and strongest
Olympian of the modern age
Leon Marchand, of France, celebrates after receiving his first gold medal in the men's 400-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Paris
Summer Olympics on Sunday in Nanterre, France.
Matthias Schrader/AP
Shortly after thousands of his fellow countrymen passionately sang the French national anthem in La
Defense Arena near Paris, Léon Marchand of the 5 sun devil swimmers broke away from a pack of elite
swimmers in the men's 400-meter individual medley final.
"It was an amazing time for me," Marchand said after the race, in which the 22-year-old scored his first
Olympic gold. "I was living it in the moment."
At certain points in the race, Marchand was so far ahead it appeared as though he were swimming in a
different pool altogether.
In a sport where victories are often decided by the slimmest of margins, he reached the wall over five
seconds ahead of Japan's Tomoyuki Matsushita, who claimed the silver.
His finishing time of 4:02.95 not only secured the gold but also set a new Olympic record, breaking the
one set by Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Games.
"Standing on the podium gave me goosebumps," Marchand said. "I felt an immense pride in being myself
and in being French."
The decibel level jumped again later that evening during the final when Marchand dove in and never
looked back. The 22-year-old led at every turn, steadily increasing the gap between himself and the other
swimmers with each lap. By the time he made the final turn toward the finish, he was a solid three-body
length ahead of the competition and went on to win his second gold medal, becoming the fourth Olympian
ever to win two gold medals in a day. However, these two gold medals are but only half of Léon’s
newfound collection.
Léon Marchand celebrates after winning the men’s 200-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics
Marchand became only the fourth swimmer in Olympic history to win four individual golds in a single
game. One in Men's 200m Breaststroke, Men's 400m Individual Medley, Men's 200m Individual Medley,
and his last in Men's 200m Butterfly. After Marchand touched the wall, he held up four fingers — one for
every gold. He climbed from the pool, pumped his fists, and then held out his arms as if to say, “What
more could you want?”. The 22-year-old- Olympic champion and record breaker had just etched in name
in every history book.
French President Emmanuel Macron celebrates after Leon Marchand of Team France wins gold in the Men's 200-m Individual Medley Final at
the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games on Aug. 02, 2024, in Nanterre, France.
Marchand's rising status as a national hero drew the attention of France’s President, Emmanuel Macron,
who was present in the arena to watch the Toulousian and seize the opportunity to celebrate French pride.
Macron also witnessed four-time Olympian Florent Manaudou win bronze in the 50-meter sprint,
finishing behind Australia's first-time Olympian Cameron McEvoy and Great Britain's Benjamin Proud.
Léon Marchand’s sheer dedication and will is a testament to the endless potential a human being can have,
he is an inspiration for all young adults and even us students to try and improve ourselves, an example of
how consistency and hard work can achieve the impossible.
All other swimming medallists- Swimming Medalists - Paris 2024 Medal Winners (olympics.com)
