Marchand Secures Fourth Gold Medal; GB’s Scott and Proud Win Silver
Marchand Secures Fourth Gold Medal; GB’s Scott and Proud Win Silver France’s Leon Marchand dazzled at the Paris 2024 Olympics, clinching his fourth gold medal in the pool. Competing in the 200m medley, Marchand led from start to finish, sealing his place as the first swimmer since Michael Phelps to secure four individual golds in a single Games. The home crowd, including French President Emmanuel Macron, erupted in celebration as the 22-year-old emerged from the water.
Duncan Scott of Great Britain finished in second place, replicating his position from the previous year’s World Championships. Scott, at 27, earned silver for the sixth time in his career and his eighth Olympic medal overall. Britain’s Tom Dean finished fifth in the event.
Earlier, Ben Proud achieved a long-awaited Olympic medal, winning silver in the 50m freestyle. At 29 and competing in his third Olympics, Proud narrowly missed gold, finishing just 0.05 seconds behind Australia’s Cam McEvoy in the one-length sprint. France’s Florent Manaudou took bronze in the same event.
Marchand’s performance in Paris has been nothing short of extraordinary. He has now claimed gold in the 200m and 400m medley, the 200m butterfly, and the 200m breaststroke—achievements he secured in a single session on Wednesday. His impressive feats would place him 10th in the medal table if he were a nation on his own. Despite facing pressure from Scott during the final leg, Marchand proved too strong, capping off one of the greatest performances in recent Olympic history.
The guy is a machine’ – Marchand matches greats
Only three other swimmers have matched Leon Marchand’s achievement of winning four or more individual gold medals at the Olympics: Michael Phelps, fellow American icon Mark Spitz, and Kristen Otto, who claimed four golds for East Germany. Marchand, who is coached by Phelps’ former mentor Bob Bowman and is seen as a successor to the American legend, now joins this elite company.
Marchand’s performances this week have been among the most anticipated and the venues have been electric. The atmosphere has been reminiscent of the excitement felt during the rugby sevens gold won by Antoine Dupont and his team.
“It has been unbelievable for me this week,” Marchand told the BBC. “I’m enjoying every moment of it. The crowd was amazing; it was so cool.”
The temporary swimming venue, set up in an indoor arena usually used by the rugby team Racing 92, reverberated with deafening cheers as Marchand secured his victory. His race was rarely in doubt, and though he fell short of Ryan Lochte’s world record by 0.06 seconds, his Olympic record time of 1:54.06 surpassed Michael Phelps’ 2008 mark and was his third gold in as many finals.
BBC commentator and former Olympian Andy Jameson praised Marchand, calling him “a machine,” while Rebecca Adlington, Team GB’s double Olympic champion from 2008, remarked on the ease with which Marchand achieved his victories, noting, “It was fantastic.”
