NANTERRE, France — French sensation Léon Marchand continued his spectacular run at the Paris Olympics by becoming the first swimmer in history to win the 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter breaststroke at the same Games. And he did it on the same night.
Marchand earned his first gold medal of the day in the 200-meter butterfly and set an Olympic record with a time of 1:51.21 in an incredible come-from-behind win over Hungary’s Kristóf Milák, who finished second in 1:51.75.
UNREAL. LEON MARCHAND WITH AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK TO IGNITE THE CROWD IN PARIS. 🇫🇷#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/oErY1zMUvu
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2024
About two hours later, Marchand set another Olympic record by swimming the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:05.85. It was arguably the greatest one-night swimming performance in Olympic history.
“I knew it was possible for me to do — to finish the races, but maybe not win them,” Marchand said. “I never knew (if I could win both).”
Earlier in the week, Marchand won a gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley. So, he’s three-for-three in gold, with one event left in his program.
He is just the fourth male swimmer in Olympic history to win more than two individual gold medals at the same Games.
“Marchand’s march to greatness CONTINUES!” 🇫🇷
Leon Marchand just can’t be stopped in his home country. He wins gold in the men’s 200m breaststroke. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/DEAEFeIxG4
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2024
The 22-year-old Frenchman, competing in his home Olympics, has been under a microscope all meet, carrying the pressure and hope of his countrymen and women in each of his swims. And he’s absolutely delivered.
Marchand’s time of 4:02.95 in the 400 IM also set an Olympic record, breaking the mark set by Michael Phelps in 2008. It was Marchand’s first Olympic gold medal and a moment that gave him goosebumps. Marchand said he was proud of himself and also his country.
Wednesday was always going to be a highlight of Marchand’s program in Paris, with him hoping to swim in the finals of the 200 fly and the 200-meter breaststroke in a span of two hours. It’s an ambitious double with two grueling races, but a schedule that Marchand said he’d been prepared for because of his NCAA experience at Arizona State. He’s used to doubles and short turnarounds between races and felt confident he could handle this schedule here.
Marchand’s coach, Bob Bowman, told him he thought he could complete Wednesday’s double after the 400 IM final because of how strong his breaststroke looked.
Marchand said the last few days have felt “kind of like a marathon,” but he thought he had enough time to recover and prepare in between. Winning two gold medals in one night was a dream of his.
“I had two gold medals in two hours, and that is quite incredible,” he said.
Marchand has been confident in pretty much every setting he’s been in at his home Games. Paris La Défense Arena has embraced him with both arms, the crowd loud and rollicking each time he steps up to the starting block that a competitor compared the environment to the feel of a soccer match.
STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND LISTEN. 🔉
Leon Marchand had the Paris fans in an absolute frenzy during his comeback win. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/3a5tdktQ0a
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 31, 2024
But Marchand had been preparing for this moment, and he knew coming into the meet just how hard he’d been working to succeed on this stage. Bowman has been through similar experiences with his former protege — Phelps. He’s tried to keep Marchand in his routine, avoiding as many potential distractions as possible.
“The main thing is just getting prepared in the water — the main thing is just swimming as fast as possible,” Marchand told The Athletic this spring. “But it’s also not only about swimming when it’s a home Olympics.”
A home Olympics also means that his smile is a bit bigger after he touches the walls and the cheers are even louder than he could ever have imagined.
Marchand has another opportunity to medal in the men’s 200-meter individual medley. He’ll swim in the prelims for that event Thursday morning.
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(Photo: Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images)