In the heart of Paris, where history and hope intertwine, a new chapter in French sports is being written. On July 29, the Paris La Défense Arena erupted in a frenzy as France’s golden boy, Leon Marchand, clinched his maiden gold medal in the 400 IM event. The air was thick with chants of “Allez Leon,” but the 22-year-old was far from done. He is now on the brink of attempting the unthinkable – conquering four events at the Olympics, a feat that would elevate him to legendary status.

Picture this: a young boy mesmerized by the shimmering blue of the swimming pool, dreaming of Olympic glory. Fast forward to today, that boy is Leon Marchand, standing tall under the tutelage of Bob Bowman, the same coach who guided Michael Phelps to greatness. The weight of expectations? Immense. The challenge? Herculean. Yet, Leon’s resolve is unyielding.

Already a gold medalist in the 200m butterfly, Leon’s journey now pivots to the 200m breaststroke. The tension is palpable as he prepares to dive into the pool, every heartbeat syncing with the rhythm of his strokes. The whispers of the crowd, the hopes of a nation, and the echoes of past legends converge in this moment.

Michael Phelps, a name synonymous with Olympic excellence, never accomplished what Leon aims to achieve. Yet, Phelps himself sees something extraordinary in this young Frenchman – a spark, a potential, a possibility. Could Leon Marchand defy the odds and etch his name alongside the greats? The world watches in breathless anticipation.

Leon Marchand has shattered yet another record at the French capital

As Leon Marchand steps into the París La Défense Arena, Michael Phelps has been following his journey throughout. When the legend was asked if he thinks the Frenchman can pull two finals off in a day, he responded with a resounding yes! “You look at how much time he has between the two races, he’s got 56 minutes that’s plenty of time.” Even though it seems like only a superhuman could possibly achieve this, the 39-year-old says it’s quite simple.

Here’s how the 5x Olympian thinks it can be done. “So for me, I’m thinking about making sure I’m getting my lactic acid cleared. So I take a little prick in your ear, you swim down to clear that lactic acid. Once he’s able to do that might have like a rubbed down, Get some carbohydrates in your system, get that energy for that next race and off you go.” With how Marchand did in the 200m butterfly, Phelps is sure he will be able to pull it off.

However, his chase for Olympic glory wouldn’t come without any hurdles. “I mean in the end, he is going against the current world record holder and the Defending gold medalist in 200m fly and in the 200 breast, he’s the previous world record holder, he’s got his hands full.” As Marchand stepped into lane 5 for his first race, right next to him in lane 4 was the defending world champion and world record holder, Kristóf Milák. But even he couldn’t hold the Frenchman back from claiming yet another gold while setting a new Olympic record. Henceforth, every stroke, every splash, every second counts.

The Frenchman has bested Michael Phelps yet again

Leon Marchand swam his way to victory in the 200m butterfly amidst a raucous cheer at the París La Défense Arena on July 31. But here’s what makes this battle an interesting watch. He locked horns with Hungary’s Kristóf Milák, who held off the Frenchman from the very beginning. With a lead of 0.64 seconds in the first split, fans were hoping the 22-year-old would soon catch up. By the halfway point, the Hungarian had comfortably maintained his lead while the Frenchman is battling it out with Canada’s Ilya Kharun. 

But the Olympian and his fans remained undeterred. Even though the defending champion was leading by 0.72 now, the crowds kept cheering for their golden boy to victory. As he starts catching up to the Milák, their chants refuse to die down. Leon Marchand had claimed a gold in the 400 IM and he has done it yet again. With 1:51:21 on the clock, the Frenchman had shattered the previous record set by the very man he just defeated – an impressive 1:51.25.

The 22-year-old now has 2 Olympic records and a new national record to his name by the end of a rousing battle. He comfortably sat in the 3rd position on the all-time with his previous best – a 1:52:43. However, with his time in the 200m butterfly, he now moves above Michael Phelps, who was #2 due to his world record of 1:51:51. Even though Milák had to settle for a silver tonight, he still gets to retain his #1 position on the all-time-list with an impressive time of 1:50:34. The 2x Olympic gold medalist will now be contesting in the 200m breaststroke shortly. Will he make the impossible, possible? Tell us, in the comments below.