Paris 2024: ‘Those guys are legends’ – Leon Marchand in shock over ‘crazy’ comparisons to Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz
Published 03/08/2024 at 00:20 GMT+1
France's Olympic hero Leon Marchand described comparisons to American swimming legends Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz as "crazy". The 22-year-old made it four golds from four events when he dominated the final of the men's 200m individual medley inside the La Defense Arena. Only Phelps and Spitz had done that in a previous Games before Paris 2024.
Paris Golden Moments: Marchand wows Macron and France with fourth gold in pool
Video credit: TNT Sports
France’s Leon Marchand admitted it feels “crazy” to be compared to swimming greats Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.
Marchand, 22, created more Olympic history on Friday in Paris as he dominated the final of the 200m medley to claim his fourth gold medal from four events.
Roared on by a raucous home support, Marchand has set new Olympic record times in every final he has swam and has joined illustrious company in the process.
Only Americans Phelps and Spitz had won four men’s individual swimming golds at the same Games before Paris 2024.
“That's crazy,” Marchand said about the comparison. “Those guys are legends. Legends of their own sport.
“It's just crazy to be compared to those guys. I don't think I realise from now. Maybe I will in a few days.”
Marchand claimed his first gold in the 400m medley as fans raised the roof inside the La Defense Arena, winning by more than five seconds from his nearest challenger.
He followed that by becoming the first person to win the men’s 200m butterfly and breaststroke at the same Olympics, with Phelps describing it as “probably the greatest double I’ve ever seen in the history of the sport.”
It was thought he might have a harder time when going for his fourth gold given how close the semi-finals were, but he blew the field away to touch the wall more than a second clear of Great Britain’s Duncan Scott and missing out on the world record by just 0.06s.
Not bad for someone who would have been happy with just one gold medal before the competition began.
“This morning I woke up and I was full of energy,” Marchand added. “I don't think anything went wrong this week. It's been perfect.
“Four gold medals is not what I thought I could possibly do. I was trying to win one at first. I had four chances of doing it.
“Now I need this time to think about what I just did, for sure. So I need a vacation.”
- Proud wins maiden Olympic medal with silver in 50m freestyle, McEvoy claims gold
- Australia's McKeown makes it a double-double with 200m backstroke success
He still has a long way to go if he wants to match Phelps, who won 23 golds, three silvers and two bronzes during his record-breaking career, but whether he does or not, his legacy is already secure.
Bob Bowman, the former coach of Phelps who now works with Marchand, said: “It's kind of proven that Leon joins Michael in that very rare club of people who, when the pressure is higher, they perform better. So his performance rises to the pressure.
“There have been a lot of great swimmers. He's certainly one of the greats.”
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