By Fausto Triana, special correspondent
To be laconic, Léon Marchand. A little more than two hours, 400 meters of pool, two different styles, butterfly and breaststroke. Two Olympic titles with records in a flash.
A colossal and unrepeatable evening, with an exceptional protagonist, although it may seem redundant, Frenchman Léon Marchand, and two almost legendary veterans, American Katie Ledecky and the Swede Sara Sjostrom. And if there weren’t enough feats, world primacy in the 100 freestyle by Chinese Pan Zhanle, with 46.40 seconds.
However, the performance of this 22-year-old boy from Toulouse, with the face of a mischievous child and a dreamy look, put the mystique of stopwatches and human limits to the test. Fans roared, Léon’s cry was repeated in chorus and each stroke in the 200m breaststroke was a party.
He achieved what no one else had ever done. He breathed in Michael Phelps’ face. He gave no respite or hope. He took the lead in the first 50 meters, increased it in the 100 and finished off in the 150. The rest was a matter of time and the clocks did not lie: 2:05.85 minutes, a new Olympic record.
He dared in the 200m butterfly to hang a second gold on his chest (the previous one in the 400m medley), without being the favorite. From that moment on, the birth of a new legend of world swimming was in sight.
He did not seem to be worried by what seemed impossible and took the first big step: he defeated the world record holder and Olympic champion in the 200-meter butterfly in Tokyo, the Hungarian Kristof Milak.
Marchand, with all the support of a frenzied public, wanted to be the first swimmer in history to win two gold medals in the same day. He still had the 100-meter breaststroke to go.
He managed to put his energy into the first 150-meter butterfly, letting Milak dominate the race. About 25 meters from the finish line, he put on the turbo, overtook the Hungarian and won the gold medal in a resounding fashion. His time, 1:51.21 minutes, an Olympic record, was a warning.
Not even Michael Phelps, his idol, managed an unusual double in the queen of aquatic disciplines. “This is not over,” concluded the French “feline” addressing the stands at La Defense Arena. Between preliminaries and sporting fantasies, Ledecky appeared, serious, focused, ready to get rid of the thorn in the side of her Australian archrival Arianne Titmus and eager to expand her collection of Olympic treasures.
Without any doubts, she jumped into the pool, in two splashes she made it clear who was the boss, and took a solid lead in a boring 1,500-meter freestyle. Olympic record of 15:30.02 minutes and eighth gold medal in these instances.
Her followers, at a distance, were the French Anastasia KIrpichnikova (15:40.35) and the German Isabel Rose (15:41.16 minutes).
Before, the veteran Swedish ondine Sara Sjostrom revived laurels and at 30 years old achieved another of the already memorable feats of Paris 2024: triumph in the 100-meter freestyle to the surprise of her opponents.
The Nordic athlete stopped the clocks at 52.16 seconds, visibly excited and leaving behind American Torri Huske, 52.29, and the Hong Kong native Siboan Haughey with 52.33.
A reference in swimming, with five Olympic Games, with a remarkable balance of five medals, three in Rio de Janeiro 2016, gold in 100 butterfly, silver in 200 freestyle and bronze in 100 freestyle; one silver in Tokyo 2020, in 50 freestyle and now, the gold in Paris 2024, probably the most resonant.
How an incredible day in Olympic swimming closes, well, with a Chinese newt who deployed the fastest race in history in the 100-meter pool.
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