NANTERRE, France — Léon Marchand flashed a grin as the crowd roared one final time for its hero of the Paris Games.
The young Frenchman achieved what once seemed like an impossible dream: four Olympic gold medals in four individual Olympic events at his home Games. All four of his gold medal swims set Olympic records, too.
Marchand joined Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz as the only men to win four individual gold medals in the same Games. And he did it as the face of these Olympics, with all of the pressure and publicity that accompanies it.
In Friday’s 200-meter individual medley final, Marchand touched the wall 1:54.06 to earn gold and complete his golden sweep, cementing a legacy in France. Great Britain’s Duncan Scott took silver and China’s Shun Wang earned bronze.
The race felt like a coronation for King Léon, as the Parisians have taken to calling him. He was the heavy favorite coming into Friday night’s race, and it seemed unwise to bet against the 22-year-old sensation.
LEON MARCHAND DOES IT AGAIN. 🤯
HIS FOURTH GOLD MEDAL OF THE #ParisOlympics.
📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/Mk1pStz1Oz
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 2, 2024
The history-making week started with Sunday’s 400-meter individual medley gold, which felt like a catharsis for the legions of French fans here at Paris La Défense Arena. Then, the historic double-gold night of the 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter breaststroke that was straight out of a Hollywood movie script.
This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
