Léon Marchand Shatters Michael Phelps’ Record: See Sunday’s Stunning Performance

NANTERRE, France — Léon Marchand secured a stunning victory in the men’s 400-meter individual medley, delivering a gold medal for France on Sunday night.

Marchand took an early lead, breaking away immediately and maintaining his dominance throughout the race. He competed not just against his fellow athletes, but also raced against the clock in a bid to beat his own world record.

Pushing hard until the final turn, Marchand finished in 4 minutes, 2.95 seconds, setting a new Olympic record. He fell just short of his world record time of 4:02.50, achieved at last year’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, a record he took from Michael Phelps, who had held it for 15 years.

Few were surprised by Marchand’s remarkable feat, as he’s coached by American Bob Bowman, the same mentor who guided Michael Phelps to his historic 23 Olympic gold medals.

This performance firmly established Marchand as one of the top athletes to watch at the Paris Games, fulfilling the high expectations placed upon him and thrilling the crowd.

Among the spectators was Phelps himself, present as a member of NBC’s broadcast team.

La Defense Arena was teeming with over 15,000 fans, many proudly displaying the colors of the French flag. The anticipation was palpable, with chants of “Léon! Léon! Léon!” and spontaneous renditions of “La Marseillaise” filling the air before Marchand even took to the deck.

The 22-year-old, who honed his skills in the U.S. while attending Arizona State University, demonstrated immense composure under pressure, capturing his first Olympic gold medal, but likely not his last.

Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita took the silver, trailing Marchand by nearly 6 seconds with a time of 4:08.62. American Carson Foster claimed the bronze at 4:08.66.

Notably, 30-year-old Chase Kalisz of the U.S., the defending Olympic champion, was unable to advance past the preliminaries.