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Leon Marchand was the toast of Paris with an astonishing Olympic double while American Katie Ledecky also made history as she breezed to victory in the women’s 1500 metres final.
French poster boy Marchand claimed gold and set new Olympic records in both the finals of the men’s 200m butterfly and the men’s 200m breaststroke within the space of just a couple of hours.
Marchand, just 22, now has three golds to his collection at his home Games – having also captured the men’s 400m individual medley title – to live up to his billing as Michael Phelps’ heir apparent.
He becomes just the fourth swimmer to win two individual titles in a single day and the first since 1976 after being cheered on at a cacophonous La Defense Arena.
Marchand had to do it the hard way, too. In the butterfly, he went head-to-head with defending champion and world record holder Kristof Milak but edged out the Hungarian by 0.54 seconds.
Zac Stubblety-Cook was the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist in the breaststroke but, despite his exertions earlier in the night, Marchand pipped the Australian into second place by 0.94 secs.
Ledecky, meanwhile, became the first female swimmer to win gold medals at four separate Olympics after she retained her crown from Tokyo 2020.
The American claimed victory by more than 10 seconds for her eighth Olympic gold, equalling compatriot Jenny Thompson’s all-time record for the most female swimming titles.
The night was rounded off with China’s Pan Zhanle setting the first world record of the Paris Olympics, cruising to victory in the men’s 100m in 46.4s, setting a new benchmark by 0.4s.
Laura Stephens qualified for the women’s 200m butterfly final on Thursday night, claiming the last qualifying place at the expense of fellow Briton Keanna Macinnes.
However, British interest in the men’s 200m backstroke ended after Oliver Morgan missed out on a place in the final.
Luke Greenbank, a two-time medallist at the Tokyo Games, had won his morning heat but was disqualified for the obscure rule of swimming too far underwater at the beginning of his race.
