France’s Leon Marchand wins swimming gold at Paris Olympics : NPR

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NANTERRE, France — Moments after 1000’s of his countrymen sang a deafening remedy of the French nationwide anthem in La Protection area outdoors Paris, Leon Marchand broke away from a pack of elite swimmers within the males’s 400 meter particular person medley last.

“It was a tremendous time for me,” Marchand mentioned after the race, wherein the 22-year-old scored his first Olympic gold. “I used to be actually residing it within the second.”

Marchand, who competed for Arizona State College and now lives in Austin, Texas, dominated the occasion which mixes freestyle, again, breast and butterfly strokes.

At instances in the course of the race Marchand was to this point forward he gave the impression to be swimming in a distinct pool.

In a sport the place victories are sometimes razor-thin, he touched the wall greater than 5 seconds forward of Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita, who took silver.

The end of 4:02:95 was robust sufficient to set a brand new Olympic document, shattering the mark set by Michael Phelps in 2008 on the Beijing Video games.

“I had goose bumps on the rostrum,” Marchand mentioned. “I felt actually proud to be myself and to be French.”

A logo of Frenchness who competed for Arizona State College

Marchand, together with his boyish beauty, has emerged as a nationwide icon of those Paris Olympics. After his win Sunday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron known as to supply congratulations.

Bob Bowman coached Marchand at ASU earlier than he turned professional this spring and helped put together him for these Olympics.

“That was an important swim,” he mentioned, describing Marchand as the most effective ever on this occasion. “He can swim quicker than that. He is bought the velocity, he is bought the endurance.”

American swimmer Carson Foster additionally turned in a robust efficiency within the medley last to seize an upset bronze medal.

“I have not had good races in large moments, so tonight simply felt good,” Foster mentioned.

Gold medalist Leon Marchand, heart, of France, stands with silver medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita, left, of Japan, and bronze medalist Carson Foster, of the USA, following Sunday’s males’s 400-meter particular person medley last.

Matthias Schrader/AP

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Matthias Schrader/AP

However he too appeared awed by Marchand’s efficiency and by the roaring French crowd.

“It was fairly wild,” Foster mentioned of the ambiance within the packed area. “It was particular for Leon to have the ability to try this in his residence nation. I will have the ability to inform my youngsters about that some day.”

Yet one more silver for the U.S. swimmers

In one other come-from-behind upset for U.S. swimmers, Nic Fink surged to a tie with legendary British Olympian Adam Peaty for a silver medal within the males’s 100-meter breaststroke last.

Peaty had been closely favored within the race.

Gold medalist, Nicolo Martinenghi, heart, of Italy, stands with silver medalists, Nic Fink, proper, of the the USA, and Adam Peaty, of Britain, on the rostrum after the lads’s 100-meter breaststroke last on Sunday on the 2024 Summer season Olympics.

Bernat Armangue/AP

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Bernat Armangue/AP

“There weren’t many ideas going via my head,” Fink mentioned of his shock medal efficiency. “It was simply type of go-go-go. I knew it was going to be actually shut and everybody was inside a fingernail.”

Fink and Peaty completed a fraction of a second behind Italian Nicolo Martinenghi who gained the gold medal, his nation’s first at these Video games.

Reporting contributed by NPR’s Becky Sullivan in Nanterre, France.