Paris 2024: Swim Hero Leon Marchand Makes History with Double Gold Win in One Day

France’s Leon Marchand delivered a stunning double gold-medal performance at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, thrilling the host nation with victories in the 200m breaststroke and 200m butterfly.

The 22-year-old claimed his first gold of the evening with a powerful late surge in the 200m butterfly, followed by an impressive display of stamina to win the 200m breaststroke just under two hours later.

This remarkable achievement made Marchand, who had already won gold in the 400m individual medley earlier in the Games, the first swimmer to secure gold in both the 200m fly and breaststroke at the same Olympics.

Marchand, a five-time world champion, has quickly become a national hero with his trio of golds, despite being relatively unknown outside the swimming community before the Olympics.

“I’ve fulfilled a lot of dreams since I’ve been here. Doing this double was something I felt I could do. But to really do it, that’s something else,” he said. “Of course, I had a lot of doubts because everyone told me it wasn’t possible.”

As the 15,000-strong crowd at the La Defense Arena passionately sang La Marseillaise during the medal ceremonies, Marchand appeared calm and joyful, soaking in the adulation.

“I’m just trying to keep going. I really enjoyed every moment of those two finals. It was really amazing for me to swim those,” he said, having dethroned two defending champions.

In the breaststroke, Marchand finished with a time of 2 minutes 5.85 seconds, setting a new Olympic record and recording the second-fastest time ever. Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook, the defending champion from Tokyo, took silver, while Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands claimed bronze.

Remarkably, this was the first time Marchand had competed in the 200m breaststroke at a major international event. Yet, fueled by his current form and the roaring home crowd, he led the race from start to finish.

His astonishing victory in the 200m butterfly, however, will likely be the most memorable. World record holder and defending champion Kristof Milak of Hungary led until the final lap when Marchand overtook him with a perfect turn and a powerful finish, setting a new Olympic record of 1 minute 51.21 seconds.

“The 200 butterfly was crazy. I had a really good race strategy. I managed to stay fairly close to the favorite and I really managed to catch him…with the pool on fire. It was pretty crazy to experience that as a French swimmer. I’m so happy,” Marchand said.

Despite the exertion, Marchand showed no signs of fatigue as he went on to win the 200m breaststroke, demonstrating his incredible endurance and resilience.

“It’s wonderful. Tonight was amazing. It’s a night he’ll never forget,” said his coach, Bob Bowman, who also trained Michael Phelps. “The way he handled it. His attitude about it was amazing. The way that he put different parts of it and lands how to swim each race were just exactly why I’m so proud,” he added.

Marchand is set to continue his historic Olympic run in the 200m individual medley starting Thursday. Even amidst his triumphs, he is already looking ahead to his next challenge.

“Now I’m going to have to realize what happened, appreciate every moment — and above all, refocus for the 200 IM,” he said.