France’s Nantérée Leon Marchand pulled off from a group of top swimmers in the 400-meter individual medley final, only moments after thousands of his compatriots sung the French national song in a loud and enthusiastic manner at La Defence venue outside of Paris.
“After the race, which saw the 22-year-old win his first Olympic gold medal, I had an amazing time,” Marchand said. “I was really living it in the moment.”
The competition included freestyle, back, breast, and butterfly strokes. Marchand, who competed for Arizona State University and is now a resident of Austin, Texas, dominated.
In some moments of the race, Marchand’s lead was so substantial that it seemed like he was swimming in a separate pool.
He reached the wall more over five seconds ahead of Tomoyuki Matsushita of Japan, who earned silver in a sport where wins are sometimes quite close.
Michael Phelps’ 2008 Beijing Games record was shattered with the strong finish time of 4:02:95, setting a new official Olympic record.
Marchand said, “I got shivers on the platform.” “I felt really proud to be myself and to be French.”
Competing for Arizona State University, this person represented France.
With his youthful attractiveness, Marchand has become a national hero of the current Paris Olympics. Macron, the president of France, contacted him Sunday night to congratulate him on his victory.
Before Marchand went professional this spring, Bob Bowman was his coach at ASU, and he assisted him in getting ready for the Olympics.
“That was a fantastic swim,” he said, calling Marchand the greatest participant in this competition ever. “He’s got more speed in the pool. His speed and endurance are both superior.”
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Along with his impressive performance in the medley final, American swimmer Carson Foster stunned the field by winning the bronze.
“I haven’t had good races in big moments, so tonight just felt good,” Foster said.
Still, he seemed to be in awe of both Marchand’s act and the boisterous French audience.
About the atmosphere in the crowded stadium, Foster recalled, “It was pretty wild.” To be able to do it in his own nation was unique for Leon. I want to share it with my children in the future.”
American swimmers win yet another silver medal.
Nic Fink stormed to a tie with renowned British Olympian Adam Peaty for a silver medal in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke final, causing yet another shock for the American swimming team.
In the race, Peaty had a significant lead.
Fink said of his unexpected medal performance, “There weren’t many thoughts going through my head.” Everything seemed to be moving quickly. Since everyone was so close together, I knew it would be quite intimate.”
The Italian Nicolo Martinenghi took home the gold medal, his nation’s first at these Games, just edging out Fink and Peaty by a slim margin.
