Léon Marchand wins swimming gold for France in 400 IM

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 basically 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 underneath 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 commonplace finally 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 incessantly as the following Phelps — particularly since he guided by the identical coach, American Bob Bowman, who was with probably 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 crew.

Marchand was a bit delayed attending to the interview space. Seems, he needed to take a telephone name — from French President Emmanuel Macron.

“He mentioned that he watched the race with all of his household they usually all screamed once I received,” Marchand mentioned by way of a translator.

Huske and Walsh go 1-2 for the U.S. girls within the 100 butterfly

Not lengthy after Marchand walked off deck, Torri Huske knocked off world-record holder Gretchen Walsh within the girls’s 100 butterfly, utilizing a powerful end to get her palms to the wall simply forward of her teammate in a 1-2 end for america.

The favourite went out together 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 underneath report tempo on the flip.

However Huske chased her down within the race that actually mattered. The winner touched in 55.59 — concerning the size of a finger forward of Walsh’s time of 55.63.

When Huske noticed the “1” beside her title of the scoreboard, she reached throughout the lane rope to offer Walsh a hug whereas breaking down in tears.

“I really feel like there was a number of stress on me,” Walsh mentioned. “It was undoubtedly a struggle 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 boost eyebrows since she was one in all almost two dozen swimmers from her nation who examined optimistic for a banned substance forward of the Tokyo Olympics however had been allowed to compete. Zhang has insisted that she’s racing clear.

Italian Martinenghi wins males’s 100 breaststroke over record-holder Peaty

The lads’s 100 breaststroke marked the tip 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 means again up to the mark 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 baby.

“Yeah, age is only a quantity in some sense,” Fink mentioned. “However in one other sense, it means extra at the moment, particularly as a result of there was undoubtedly home windows to shut my profession earlier and I sort of saved going for the love of the game. To have this a lot success this late has been icing on the cake and a number 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 crimson 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 remaining of night.

“It’s fairly troublesome to explain all the things as a result of it’s unbelievable for a swimmer to have this ambiance within the pool,” Marchand mentioned. “How may you not smile if 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 way of with flying colours to seize the primary gold medal of his profession, however certainly 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 time Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games