Léon Marchand completes unprecedented double, winning gold in 200M butterfly and 200M breaststroke

NANTERRE, France – French sensation Léon Marchand continued his spectacular run at the Paris Olympics by becoming the first swimmer in history to win the 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter breaststroke at the same Games. And he did it the same night.

Marchand claimed his first gold medal of the day in the 200m butterfly, setting an Olympic record with a time of 1:51.21 in an incredible come-from-behind victory over Hungary’s Kristóf Milák, who finished second in 1 :51.75.

UNREAL. LEON MARCHAND WITH AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK TO RUN THE CROWD IN PARIS. 🇫🇷#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/oErY1zMUvu

— NBC Olympic and Paralympic Games (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2024

About two hours later, Marchand set another Olympic record by swimming the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:05.85. It was perhaps the greatest single-night swimming performance in Olympic history.

“I knew it was possible for me to finish the races, but maybe not win them,” Marchand said. “I never knew (if I could win both).”

Earlier this week, Marchand won a gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley. So he is three-for-three in gold, with one event left in his schedule.

He is only the fourth male swimmer in Olympic history to win more than two individual gold medals at the same Games.

“Marchand’s march to greatness continues!” 🇫🇷

Leon Marchand is simply unstoppable in his home country. He wins gold in the men’s 200 meter breaststroke. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/DEAEFeIxG4

— NBC Olympic and Paralympic Games (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2024

The 22-year-old Frenchman, who competed in the Olympic Games in his home country, has been scrutinizing all the competitions, carrying the pressure and hopes of his compatriots in each of his swims. And it absolutely delivered.

Marchand’s time of 4:02.95 in the 400 IM also set an Olympic record, breaking the milestone set by Michael Phelps in 2008. It was Marchand’s first Olympic gold medal and a moment that gave him goosebumps. Marchand said he was proud of himself and also of his country.

Wednesday was always going to be a highlight of Marchand’s schedule in Paris, with him hoping to swim the 200m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke finals in the space of two hours. It’s an ambitious dual meet with two grueling races, but a schedule Marchand said he was prepared for because of his NCAA experience at Arizona State. He is used to doubles and short turnaround times between races and was confident he could handle this schedule here.

Marchand’s coach, Bob Bowman, told him he thought he could complete Wednesday’s double after the 400 IM final because of how strong his breaststroke looked.

Marchand said the past few days have been “a bit like a marathon,” but he thought he had enough time in between to recover and prepare. Winning two gold medals in one night was a dream of his.

“I had two gold medals in two hours, which is incredible,” he said.

Marchand has been confident in just about every situation he has found himself in during his home games. Paris La Défense Arena has embraced him with both arms, the crowd loud and enthralling every time he steps onto the starting block, with one competitor likening the environment to the feeling of a football match.

STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND LISTEN. 🔉

Leon Marchand sent the Parisian fans into an absolute frenzy during his comeback win. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/3a5tdktQ0a

– NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 31, 2024

But Marchand had prepared himself for this moment and he knew going into the competition how hard he had worked to succeed on this stage. Bowman has gone through similar experiences with his former protégé: Phelps. He has tried to keep Marchand in his routine and avoid as many distractions as possible.

“The most important thing is to prepare yourself in the water; the most important thing is just swimming as fast as possible,” Marchand said The Athletics this spring. “But it’s also not just about swimming when it’s a home Olympics.”

A home Olympics also means that his smile is a little bit bigger after he touches the walls and the cheering is even louder than he ever imagined.

Marchand still has a chance to medal in the men’s 200-meter individual medley. He will swim in the preliminaries for that event on Thursday morning.

For more information about swimming in the Olympics, follow The Athletics‘s live blog.

Required reading

(Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)