The 2024 Paris Olympics has been a stage for unforgettable moments and dazzling medals. But it hasn’t been without its fair share of bumps along the way. Among them was Leon Marchand, who, just a year ago, was flying under the radar in France outside swimming circles but has since become a household name. He won four gold medals in four individual finals. However, with the limelight came strife. His meteoric rise was initially overshadowed by controversy when a video went viral, allegedly showing him making a discriminatory gesture toward a Chinese coach.

The situation didn’t even cool down before another video went viral, which showed his close interaction with a Chinese skier athlete, adding more fuel to the fire. According to the South China Morning Post, champion skier Eileen Gu, 20, who won two golds and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, was seen dancing intimately with Leon Marchand.

In the footage, which emerged as the Paris Olympics concluded, Gu and Marchand were seen in a Paris nightclub, holding an Olympic gold medal and making a kissing gesture. This has sparked speculation that the medal might belong to Marchand. Additionally, this started rumors started that the two athletes might be romantically involved, and this invited a lot of criticism.

Because Marchand allegedly disrespected a Chinese coach in Paris, people were unhappy with Gu’s apparent involvement with him. In fact, Gu revealed that she interacted with Marchand on Instagram quite a lot during the Olympics but because of the backlash, she decided to delete the interactions.

Sports commentator Li Pingkang saw her actions as opportunistic. South Moning China Post reported that Pingkang, on Weibo, stated, “There’s nothing wrong with commenting, knowing, or even being friends with someone, but immediately distancing yourself when it might cause controversy proves that she is opportunistic and utilitarian.” However, some Chinese fans saw Gu’s actions as patriotic.

The whole controversy also led people to question her nationality. Eileen Gu was born and raised in the US by a Chinese mother. As per the rules, an athlete must have citizenship of the country they compete for in the Olympics. Someone who holds dual citizenship for two or more countries can decide to represent one of them. However, when it comes to Gu, China does not allow dual citizenship and since she has represented China, it is not known whether she renounced her US citizenship to compete for China.

In fact, during a press conference at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, people noted that she was dodging questions related to citizenship. As reported by CNN, she said, “When I’m in China, I’m Chinese. When I’m in the US, I’m American.”

So people have been quite curious about her citizenship. But what’s the story behind Marchand’s controversy with the coach?

Misunderstood gesture? Leon Marchand’s medal ceremony moment with coach Zhu Zhigen

On August 2, Leon Marchand was accused of disrespecting Zhu Zhigen, the coach of Chinese bronze medalist Wang Shun, during the medal ceremony for the men’s 200m individual medley.

In the video that went viral, Marchand was seen approaching the podium to collect his gold medal. He ducked under a tape barrier, and Coach Zhu reached out his hand for a handshake. However, Marchand walked right past him without acknowledging the gesture.

It’s unclear whether Marchand ignored the handshake intentionally or if it was a misunderstanding. Marchand apologized, saying he thought Zhu was trying to help with a lane rope rather than offering a handshake. They seem to have sorted it out and as per reports, they hugged and exchanged gifts.

However, no matter his explanation, the recent video has only stoked the flames of controversy, further heating up the surrounding situation. But this isn’t the only case from Paris where fans were unhappy about an athlete being disrespectful.

When Chinese swimmer Pan Zhenle broke his own world record in the men’s 100m freestyle finals, he accused Kyle Chalmers (Australia) of disrespect. He also stated that the American relay swimmers misbehaved with his coach while the latter was looking forward to the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. But Chalmers has denied Zhenle’s claims.