Frenchman Marchand is the king of the Olympic pool! He also beat Phelps’ record!
Andrey Shitikhin July 28, 2024, 22:11 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
I brought half a pool to all my opponents!
The brilliant French swimmer Leon Marchand has broken another record from the great Michael Phelps. Last year at the World Championships in Fukuoka he broke the American world record, and in Paris, with his fans shaking the pool deck with their applause, he also broke the Olympic record.
Marchand was expected to set a record in Paris. Just like a year ago. Then, in the more difficult 400m medley distance, the 21-year-old torpedoed Phelps’ record, which had stood for 15 years. Phelps swam 4:03.84 in Beijing 2008, a time that no one could even come close to. Until Marchand appeared on the swimming horizon.
Who is Leon Marchand?
A Frenchman deprived the great Phelps of his last world record. Is Leon the new king?
Three years ago in Tokyo, Leon was not very competitive in the fight for medals. And then he started training in Arizona with Bob Bowman. The same coach who introduced Michael Phelps to world swimming, under whose leadership the American broke many records and won 23 Olympic medals.
And Marchand abruptly added. Already at the 2022 World Championships it was loudly announced, and at the 2023 World Championships he broke Phelps’ incredible record. According to Michael’s own comments, the Frenchman swam in 4:02.50 – this is an incredible and exorbitant result. It seems beyond the realm of possibility.
Naturally, at his home Olympics, Marchand was determined to beat his own record. The way the crowds pushed him forward was something incredible. Marchand swam not against his opponents, but against his time. He came very close to beating the record, but Leon still lost to himself. But at the same time, he swam outside 4:03.00 again, stopping the clock at the cut-off of 4:02.95.
If it weren’t for Fukuoka last year, this would have been a world record. But in the end Marchand broke the Olympic record that belonged to Phelps. At the award ceremony, the King of Swimming was presented by the King of Biathlon, Martin Fourcade. Marchand still has several personal distances and relay races ahead of him. And in the way he approached the 2024 Olympics, Leon is quite capable of becoming the main multi-medalist of the Games.
