The atmosphere was electric at the Paris La Défense Arena stadium during the first Olympic event of Léon Marchand, the French swimmer that all of France was waiting for. “Come on, Léon, Léon Marchand,” the spectators chanted in unison. France was so numerous that the other countries could not be distinguished in the stands filled with nearly 15,000 spectators.
Earplugs “your ears tell you to hear” were also available at some kiosks in the amphitheater. Necessary if you have fragile eardrums since the cries of joy of the French literally made the floor of the stands shake. We could barely hear the announcer say his name when the five-time world champion made his entrance into the Olympic pool.
Dressed in their country’s colours and proudly brandishing placards bearing the image of their rising star, they were banking heavily on the 22-year-old prodigy, who smashed Michael Phelps’ record at the World Swimming Championships in July 2023 in his favourite discipline, the 400m individual medley. The record had been held by the multiple Olympic medallist since 2008.
It was in this discipline that Léon Marchand began his Olympic conquest by unsurprisingly winning the gold medal. With a time of 4:02.95, one would have thought that he was swimming alone in the pool, breaking away from all his opponents with a lead of almost 6 seconds. He left no chance to his rivals Tomoyuki Matsushita and Carson Foster, who won the silver and bronze medals respectively.
He thus once again beat the Olympic record held by none other than… Michael Phelps. There are many comparisons with the holder of 28 Olympic medals. The two swimmers also share the same coach, who clearly knows how to recognize rough diamonds.
Every Olympics has its international athletes who become the stars. This year, it’s gymnast Simone Biles, track and field athlete Noah Lyles and marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge who are turning heads. But when you add a local star to the mix, the atmosphere couldn’t be more electrifying.
It was with a smile on his face, visibly moved, that Léon Marchand went to collect his gold medal, his first Olympic medal. He had come sixth in the same discipline at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
“I want to have fun and surpass myself, we’ll see what happens,” he told his local daily, Toulouse news, before his arrival at the Olympic Games. He still has three individual races to compete in, the 200m butterfly, the 200m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley. With a gold medal around his neck, he is well on his way to surpassing himself. He could, according to predictions, leave with three more gold medals.
This report was funded with support from the Transat International Journalism Fund-The duty.