Support truly
independent journalism
Four. Leon Marchand’s fingers lifted upright after touching the wall spoke volumes. A rapturous applause from the French crowd at La Defense Arena, including President Emmanuel Macron, who returned a thumbs up from the stands. Marchand has been confirmed now as the new king of the pool. And this was the moment, well, another Marchand moment for Paris 2024: Except not just success, but utter dominance again from one of their own. He is a complete game-changer and the ripple of waves swimming has felt this week may be felt for years to come in the build-up to Los Angeles 2028.
Marchand’s heroics should not detract from another sensational swim by Duncan Scott, who will relish another splendid silver. It is his eighth Olympic medal overall and lifts him into second all-time on the British list of most decorated Olympians, behind only Jason Kenny with nine. But the Scot’s freestyle, as magnificent as it was, and 0.58secs faster than Marchand, mattered little after the Frenchman’s devastating breaststroke leg broke this field, allowing the French crowd to relish a final 50m.
"I'll chuck my hand up for any relay,” Scott said as he closes in on Kenny. “No matter what it is, or what leg I'm doing. There's that, but I think I'm in a different bracket to these guys, they've come into Olympics and dominated, Kenny, Hoy and others.
“Don’t put me in comparison to these guys. They inspired me through my Olympic journey, from when I was a young kid, for example, Andy Murray, stepping away from the sport, the fact I'm 27 in my third Games, he was the one I looked up to. He was doing it against the best in the world on the biggest stage.
“I don't want to be put together against these guys. They've won gold after gold after gold. I'm scraping silvers and jumping on the backs of others in relays.”
Tom Dean, who has confirmed his place on Strictly Come Dancing this week, was pipped by Shun Wang, the defending champion from Tokyo, for bronze, eventually finishing fifth behind the USA's Carson Foster in fourth.
Marchand, 22, is the face of the Games and not only due to his collection of medals, but for how he races too. It has captured the imagination of sports fans around the world and this fabulous fourth gold medal elevates him into an exclusive club, too. The only men to have won more than three individual swimming golds in a single Games: Marchand, Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.
The latest prodigy of Bob Bowman, the coach who guided Phelps throughout his legendary career, Marchand is ripping up the rulebook. He proved as much with an unprecedented double on Wednesday night: a breathtaking two-hour attack on convention in the pool. He is the first man in over 100 years to win two individual swimming titles in a single session, matching the feat of Australian Phil Lane.
Marchand is no bully, either, having sat back in the 200m butterfly as Hungary’s Kristof Milak surged clear, only to slowly reel in the world record holder in a frantic dash to the wall. Marchand can lean on a psychological twist to each of his finals too. It works two-fold, with the feverish support swirling around the pool, including those magnificently timed cheers each time Marchand comes up for air in the breaststroke.
But the twist to his imposing style comes with his lung-busting explosion off the wall on the turn: Marchand can glide underwater for up to 15m in the 50m pool. It’s an ominous move with his rivals sometimes caught off guard and unable to respond with 35m remaining.
He didn’t need a deadly final leg here, the supreme Marchand is the king of the pool in Paris.
Ben Proud lands coveted Olympic medal in the ‘splash and dash’
Earlier in the evening, the ‘splash and dash’ lived up to its billing with an explosive 50m freestyle final won by Cameron McEvoy in 21.25secs.
But Ben Proud snatched silver, a first Olympic medal, finishing just five-hundredths of a second behind the Australian, having both entered the final with the fastest qualifying time. The Briton will have wanted gold, but the agony of fourth and fifth in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo ensured this silver was not to be sniffed at. The tension in the arena was unbearable beforehand. A hushed silence descended on La Defense Arena after the most raucous ovation for this star-studded line-up, including the USA’s Caeleb Dressel, who captured five Olympic gold medals just three years ago.
It was Florent Manaudou, after doubting his nation’s passion for sports in the build-up, who rallied the crowd with a series of thunderous claps. Having conjured an electric atmosphere, he fed off the deafening screams as the eight men plunged into the pool and ripped through the water. The home favourite edged out Canada’s Josh Liendo by just two-hundredths of a second with the French fans leaping out of their seats upon confirmation.
Proud celebrated just like Manaudou, as if he’d won gold, perched on the lane divider, the 29-year-old desperately searched for a loved one and clenched his fist in delight.
“Three years ago, I burst into tears, I couldn’t take it that I’d failed,” Proud said. “But it was the most important thing to go through. I’ve been through the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
“It’s all led to me finding great balance with my swimming. I feel like I’m a different person. To be second behind Cam, it’s the most fitting thing, and the cherry on top is to share the podium with Florent.”
