NANTERRE, France (AP) — Leon Marchand carried the comparisons to Michael Phelps and the hopes of a nation on his broad shoulders.
The 22-year-old Frenchman dealt with all of it with ease, setting himself as much as be one of many largest stars of the Paris Olympics.
With a flag-waving crowd cheering his each stroke, Marchand delivered a swimming gold for France with a dominating victory within the males’s 400-meter particular person medley Sunday evening.
Marchand was forward as quickly as his head popped from the water and he steadily pulled away from the sphere in what was primarily two separate races: Marchand going towards the clock and everybody else competing for silver and bronze.
“I began very, very quick,” he mentioned. “I didn’t have a look at the opposite lanes. I used to be targeted on myself.”
Marchand was beneath world-record tempo on the ultimate flip however pale a bit coming residence, touching in 4 minutes, 2.95 seconds — an Olympic report, however simply shy of his personal world mark of 4:02.50. Marchand claimed that vaunted customary eventually yr’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, erasing the report held by Phelps for 15 years.
Not surprisingly, the younger Frenchman has been talked about often as the subsequent Phelps — particularly since he guided by the identical coach, American Bob Bowman, who was with essentially the most adorned athlete in Olympic historical past all through his profession.
Marchand lived as much as these staggering expectations, for one evening a minimum of, and Phelps was within the constructing to witness all of it as a member of NBC’s broadcast staff.
Marchand was a bit delayed attending to the interview space. Seems, he needed to take a cellphone name — from French President Emmanuel Macron.
“He mentioned that he watched the race with all of his household and so they all screamed once I gained,” Marchand mentioned by means of a translator.
Huske and Walsh go 1-2 for the U.S. ladies within the 100 butterfly
Not lengthy after Marchand walked off deck, Torri Huske knocked off world-record holder Gretchen Walsh within the ladies’s 100 butterfly, utilizing a robust end to get her palms to the wall simply forward of her teammate in a 1-2 end for the USA.
The favourite went out along with her common technique: begin quick and attempt to maintain on. It labored on the U.S. trials, the place she set her world report of 55.18 final month, and he or she was beneath report tempo on the flip.
However Huske chased her down within the race that actually mattered. The winner touched in 55.59 — in regards to the size of a finger forward of Walsh’s time of 55.63.
When Huske noticed the “1” beside her identify of the scoreboard, she reached throughout the lane rope to provide Walsh a hug whereas breaking down in tears.
“I really feel like there was loads of stress on me,” Walsh mentioned. “It was undoubtedly a combat to the end and seeing the 1-2 up there was wonderful. I’m so happy with Torri. I’m happy with myself.”
A bronze for Chinese language swimmer embroiled in controversy
Zhang Yufei of China claimed the bronze in 56.21, which is bound to lift eyebrows since she was one in every of almost two dozen swimmers from her nation who examined constructive for a banned substance forward of the Tokyo Olympics however have been allowed to compete. Zhang has insisted that she’s racing clear.
Italian Martinenghi wins males’s 100 breaststroke over record-holder Peaty
The boys’s 100 breaststroke marked the top of Adam Peaty’s dominant run in that occasion.
The gold medalist in each Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, Peaty took a protracted layoff to take care of psychological well being points. Upon his return, he labored his approach again on top of things and got here into the ultimate as the highest qualifier.
However the star from Nice Britain got here up simply in need of making it three golds in a row. Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi was the winner out in lane seven, touching in 59.03. Peaty shared the silver with American Nic Fink after they completed simply two-hundredths behind the winner in 59.05.
“I’m not unhappy in any respect,” Peaty mentioned. “I feel anybody that’s carried out sport — you place your self on the road each single time. So there’s no such factor as a loss.”
Full-time engineer Fink ties for silver
For the 31-year-old Fink, it was the primary Olympic medal of his late-blooming profession. His swimming profession, that’s. Fink additionally works full time for an engineering agency, clocking in remotely from his residence in Dallas when he’s not on the pool.
Fink and his spouse predict their first youngster.
“Yeah, age is only a quantity in some sense,” Fink mentioned. “However in one other sense, it means extra right now, particularly as a result of there was undoubtedly home windows to shut my profession earlier and I form of stored going for the love of the game. To have this a lot success this late has been icing on the cake and loads of enjoyable.”
Marchand’s followers went wild
In fact, on Day 2 of swimming, everybody was enjoying second fiddle to Marchand.
La Protection Enviornment was full of greater than 15,000 followers, a lot of them with their faces painted within the blue, white and purple of the tricolore banner.
Chants of “Léon! Léon! Léon!” and an impromtu rendition of “La Marseillaise” broke out within the rugby stadium a full quarter-hour earlier than Marchand walked on deck for the primary ultimate of night.
“It’s fairly troublesome to explain every thing as a result of it’s unimaginable for a swimmer to have this environment within the pool,” Marchand mentioned. “How might you not smile while you’re in entrance of 15,000 individuals? I need to thank all of the French individuals who got here tonight.”
Marchand, who educated within the U.S. whereas attending Arizona State College, got here by means of with flying colours to seize the primary gold medal of his profession, however absolutely not the final.
The silver went to Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita, who completed almost 6 seconds behind the winner in 4:08.62. American Carson Foster claimed the bronze at 4:08.66.
Marchand is simply getting began in Paris. He’s entered in three extra particular person occasions.
“I used to be actually happy with what I did tonight,” he mentioned. “I’m going to take pleasure in it tonight, however then I’m going to chill out as a result of I’ve seven or eight days left.”
Marchand needed to wait for everybody else to complete, then he climbed on the lane rope and pumped his left fist for an adoring crowd that packed a stadium usually utilized by famed rugby membership Racing 92.
An applicable venue for this efficiency.
Nobody raced sooner than Marchand.
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AP Summer season Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games