Four. Leon Marchand’s fingers lifted upright after touching the wall spoke volumes. A rapturous applause from the French crowd at La Defense Arena, including Emmanuel Macron, who returned a thumbs up from the stands, confirmed a new king of the pool. This was the moment for Paris 2024: Not just success, but utter dominance from one of their own. A game-changer with the ripple of the waves swimming has felt this week to last for years.
Marchand’s heroics should not detract from another sensational swim by Duncan Scott, who will relish a splendid silver. It is his eighth Olympic medal overall and lifts him into second all-time on the British list of most decorated Olympians, behind only Jason Kenny. But the Scot’s freestyle, as magnificent as it was, and 0.58secs faster than Marchand, mattered little after the Frenchman’s devastating breaststroke leg broke this field, allowing the French crowd to relish a final 50m.
Tom Dean, who has confirmed his place on Strictly Come Dancing, was pipped by Shun Wang, the defending champion from Tokyo, for bronze, eventually finishing fifth behind the USA’s Carson Foster in fourth.
Marchand, 22, is the face of the Games, not only through his growing collection of medals, now possessing four glittering golds, but for how he races. It has captured the imagination of sports fans around the world and this fabulous four gold medals elevates him into an exclusive club, too. Only Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz have also won more than three individual swimming golds in a single Games.
The latest prodigy of Bob Bowman, who guided Phelps throughout his legendary career, Marchand is ripping up the rulebook. He proved as much with an unprecedented double on Wednesday night: a breathtaking two-hour attack on convention in the pool. He is the first man in over 100 years to win two individual swimming titles in a single session, matching the feat of Australian Phil Lane.
Marchand is no bully, either, having sat back in the 200m butterfly as Hungary’s Kristof Milak surged clear, only to slowly reel in the world record holder in a frantic dash to the wall. Marchand can lean on a psychological twist to each of his finals too. It works two-fold, with the feverish support swirling around the pool, including those magnificently timed cheers each time Marchand comes up for air in the breaststroke.
But the twist to his imposing style comes with his lung-busting explosion off the wall on the turn: Marchand can glide underwater for up to 15m in the 50m pool. It’s an ominous move with his rivals sometimes caught off guard and unable to respond with 35m remaining.
He didn’t need a deadly final leg here, the supreme Marchand is the king of the pool in Paris.
Ben Proud lands coveted Olympic medal in the ‘splash and dash’
Earlier in the evening, the ‘splash and dash’ lived up to its billing with an explosive 50m freestyle final won by Australia’s Cameron McEvoy in 21.25secs.
Ben Proud snatched silver, just five-hundredths of a second behind the Australian, having both entered the final with the fastest qualifying time. The Briton will have wanted gold, but the agony of fourth and fifth in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo ensured this silver was not to be sniffed at. The tension in the arena was unbearable. A hushed silence descended on La Defense Arena after the most raucous ovation for this star-studded line-up, including the USA’s Caeleb Dressel, who captured five Olympic gold medals three years ago.
It was Florent Manaudou, who had doubted his nation’s passion for sports in the build-up, who rallied the crowd with a series of thunderous claps. Having conjured an electric atmosphere, he fed off the deafening screams as the eight men plunged into the pool and ripped through the water. The home favourite edged out Canada’s Josh Liendo by just two-hundredths of a second with the French fans leaping out of their seats upon confirmation.
Proud celebrated just like Manaudou, as if he’d won gold, perched on the lane divider, the 29-year-old spotted a loved one and clenched his fist. He would emerge last out of the pool, soaking in the moment before sharing words with a gracious Dressel on the way back to the changing rooms.