He is not yet satisfied. Already crowned in the 400m medley on Sunday, Léon Marchand can win two additional gold medals in the 200m butterfly (8:37 p.m.) and 200m breaststroke (10:31 p.m.) on Wednesday, July 31, at Paris La Défense Arena. To do this, the Toulouse native will have to string together two high-intensity races two hours apart. We will also keep an eye on Maxime Grousset for the 100m freestyle final (10:39 p.m.).
Léon Marchand, a man in shape
Gold medalist with a considerable margin in the 400m medley on Sunday, the Frenchman proved that he had arrived in Paris in Olympic form. Best time in the semi-finals of the 200m breaststroke and second best time in the 200m butterfly, he confirmed on Tuesday his ability to repeat the efforts.
A difficult race sequence?
On paper, running two finals in such a short space of time may seem tricky. Even Michael Phelps, the most decorated swimmer and medallist in the history of the Olympic Games (28 including 23 gold), did not risk doing two individual races in the same session of the day. But Léon Marchand has already tested this configuration during the French championships in Chartres, in June 2024. And it resulted in two successes with promising times.
Kristof Milak, Zac Stubblety-Cook: Opponents to watch
If the Frenchman is the favourite, several opponents stand in his way. In the 200m butterfly, he will have to be wary of the Hungarian Kristof Milak, reigning Olympic champion and best time in the semi-finals. In the 200m breaststroke, the Frenchman seemed to have a head start on his competitors but will see the Australian Zac Stubblety-Cook, Olympic record holder, start alongside him. Two great duels in perspective.