Paris Olympics: Leon Marchand wins fourth gold, now comparisons with Michael Phelps

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PARIS — The king Léon Marchand threw himself one last time into the pool he had conquered and here, on a stage built for his greatness, on a magical Friday evening, the French face of the 2024 Olympic Games became something special.

He won the 200-meter medley to claim his fourth individual gold medal of the Games in an Olympic record time of 1:54:06, just 0.06 slower than Ryan Lochte’s world record.

During six unforgettable days at the Paris La Défense Arena, he did things swimming had never seen before.

And he created the ultimate Olympic equation.

“It was crazy; unbelievable,” American rival Carson Foster told Yahoo Sports. “You know, it’s tough because I’m competing against him, so I want to stay with him. … But I mean, we’ll probably see something similar to Phelps.”

Phelps is of course Michael, the GOAT of Mount Olympus, the owner of 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold. Marchand was just Léon from Toulouse not so long ago; a week ago he didn’t have a medal. He has a long way to go to become the king of his sport. Some would argue that he doesn’t belong in the same sentence yet.

But here, in his second Olympics—like Phelps, Marchand had gone to his first as a teenager and come away empty-handed—he won a gold double that Phelps had never even attempted. He matched Phelps’s individual medal haul from Athens 2004 in a more diverse set of events. He thrilled and inspired a home crowd in a way Phelps never had. He broke Phelps’s Olympic records in both IMs.

And he confirmed all the comparisons he had been making for a number of years.

He may not be the next Michael, but for now he is certainly Phelps’ heir apparent.

Marchand vs. Phelps

In many ways, the comparisons date back to 2020, when Marchand sent a cold email that changed his life. He was a talented teenage swimmer exploring American colleges. He wanted to go to Cal but was told they didn’t have a full scholarship for him. So he reached out to coaches, including Bob Bowman — who was building a program at Arizona State after two decades as Phelps’ coach and mentor.

Leon assumed Bowman wouldn’t reply. Bowman emailed back almost immediately. Leon was buzzing with excitement.

They connected first over Zoom and eventually in the fall of 2021. As they prepared to launch a partnership that would take Marchand to the top of the world and thrust Bowman back into the spotlight, they talked about Marchand’s training regimen.

“He shows me workouts he did with Michael Phelps,” said 18-year-old Léon.

Bowman then set to work transforming Marchand into the Second Coming of Christ.

Both have frequently invoked the comparisons in the three years since. “I don’t want to be compared to Phelps all the time,” Marchand said in 2022. “I’m very, very far from him. … I want to create my own path.”

But his path, month after month, swim after swim, began to mirror Phelps’s in so many ways. He made an international name for himself in the medleys. He mastered the underwater dolphin kick, even more than the man he once called “an alien” and “a bit of an idol.” In 2023, he broke Phelps’s last remaining world record.

Phelps was on hand that day to crown King Leon, draped a medal over Marchand’s head and raised his hand, as if Marchand were a victorious boxer. Phelps had kept his distance from Bowman’s “new monster,” but he still lived in Arizona and occasionally hung out with the ASU program, which only reinforced the comparisons.

Bowman, meanwhile, never shied away from them. “That’s what (Phelps’) 4:04 felt like,” he said of Marchand’s 400 IM. “I know where we’re going with this.”

They are different swimmers; “both aerobic animals,” as Bowman said, but different kinds of physical freaks. They have different personalities — Phelps a pugnacious dog, Marchand more gentle and quiet. They have different backgrounds and different futures.

But both have now created a hype and a story that you only hear once in a generation.

Marchand lives up to the pre-Parisian hype

A week ago, it was all hype. But on Sunday, and especially Wednesday, and finally Friday, Marchand lived up to it all. He set the French public alight. His victories disrupted other Olympic events. His swimming surprised an entire sport.

“He’s Poseidon,” said French backstroke swimmer Yohann Ndoye Brouard in surprise. “I swear, he’s Aquaman. How can he have so much air to stay underwater?”

“It’s his moment,” said Zac Stubblety-Cook, a defeated Australian breaststroke swimmer. “He’s hungry. He’s on the verge of becoming one of the best swimmers. We’re just seeing the beginning.”

That was the feeling that swept through the Paris La Défense Arena, just as it had 20 years earlier in Athens with Phelps. Foster, who in another era might have challenged for IM gold, spoke of the “honor” of swimming alongside Marchand. “That’s something I hope I can tell my kids about one day,” he said. “I swam alongside Leon in his home country, at the Olympics in his home country.”

Phelps, of course, won four individual gold medals, and followed that up with five more at Beijing 2008. He won, and he kept winning. There’s no telling how Marchand will handle his unprecedented success and fame.

But Bowman made one thing very clear during opening weekend.

“He can do better,” Bowman said after the 400 IM. “He hasn’t reached his potential yet. That was a great swim; he can definitely swim faster than that.”