Léon Marchand’s Double Gold Triumphs and Arizona Athletes’ Stellar July 31 Achievements

Turns out, those comparisons to Michael Phelps weren’t farfetched at all when it comes to Léon Marchand.

PHOENIX — The 2024 Paris Olympics continued on Wednesday. The United States led the medal standings after the fourth day of competition with host France second, but more winners will join the list every day from July 27 to Aug. 11.

Athletes with Arizona ties had an amazing day in Paris on Wednesday. Former Arizona State University Sun Devil Léon Marchand won gold in two events, and Ilya Kharun, a swimmer for ASU, won a bronze medal following the men’s 200-meter butterfly final at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Former Arizona State University Sun Devil and Team France’s Léon Marchand completed one of the most audacious doubles in swimming history Wednesday night, winning the 200-meter butterfly and the 200 breaststroke about two hours apart at the Paris Games.

Marchand claimed his second and third victories at La Defense Arena, stamping himself as one of the faces of these games.

After rallying to beat world-record holder and defending Olympic champion Kristóf Milák in the 200 fly with a finishing kick for the ages, Marchand made it look easy in the 200 breast.

He led all the way, touching in 2 minutes, 5.85 seconds as more than 15,000 fans — many holding up cardboard cutouts of his smiling face — nearly blew the roof off La Defense Arena.

Marchand started swimming for ASU in 2021. Before he was a Sun Devil, he was competing in the Tokyo Olympics.

Former Higley High School swimmer and Gilbert resident Keaton Jones will advance to the 200-meter backstroke finals on Thursday after qualifying on Wednesday. Jones will be sixth seed with a time of 1:56.39.

Ilya Kharun made history Wednesday after winning a bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter butterfly final at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Kharun, who swims for ASU, became the first Canadian to win a medal in the Olympic swimming event, according to the CBC. The 19-year-old’s victory makes him the first Canadian athlete to win a medal in men’s swimming since 2012.

Kharun swam against Leon Marchand, another ASU swimmer, who ended up capturing a gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly final.

Kharun is majoring in sports business at ASU and is the son of Cirque du Soleil acrobats.

Kevin Durant scored 14 points for Team USA in their 103-86 win against South Sudan on Wednesday night.

The U.S. clinched a trip to the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics with the win. Bam Adebayo scored 18 points, and Kevin Durant had 14 for the Americans, who took control with a 25-4 run in the first half.

Devin Booker had 10 points and led Team USA with 6 assists.

Tucson’s Delaney Schnell and her teammate Jessica Parratto finished sixth in the synchronized 10-meter platform Wednesday at the Olympic Games, missing out on a medal. 

They won a silver medal in Tokyo three years ago.

The two had a touching moment in an interview after the competition. 

“She just means a lot to me,” Parratto said of Schnell. 

“She’s my dive mama,” Schnell replied. 

Jimmer Fredette cut the lead to 1 with about 90 seconds left before Michał Sokołowski made a free throw a few seconds later to extend the lead to 19-17.

The U.S. had a chance to tie it late, but Fredette’s 2-point attempt came up short. Fredette, who was brought in to boost the team after the U.S. failed to qualify for Tokyo, appeared to sustain an injury with about three minutes left.

He looked to be in pain as he was tended to by a trainer but soon returned to the game. He did not speak to reporters after the game, and a team spokesman said he was receiving treatment but did not provide any specifics on an injury.

Watch more coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics here.