The exceptional French swimmer Léon Marchand caused the biggest cheers on the second day of the final at the Défense Arena in Paris. The local hero took his first Olympic victory in the 400 m medley.
28.07.2024, 22:25
28.07.2024, 22:36
SDA
Marchand swam an Olympic record of 4:02.95 minutes. He distanced the Japanese Tomoyuki Matsushita and the American Carson Foster in second and third place by over five seconds.
Last year, Marchand broke Michael Phelps' last world record. This is not the only reason why the 22-year-old is regarded as the successor to the most successful swimmer in history. Marchand is coached by Phelps' former trainer. The record Olympic champion (23 gold medals) himself watched Marchand's gold medal performance live in the hall as a TV pundit.
Peaty wins silver after depression
Phelps saw a thrilling final with a close finish in the 100 m breaststroke. Adam Peaty wanted to be crowned Olympic champion for the third time after 2016 and 2021. In the end, he was two hundredths short of a hat-trick.
At the same time as Nic Fink from the USA, the 29-year-old was beaten by Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi after a Hitchcock final. The 2022 world champion had finished third at the Tokyo Olympics. After a difficult time with injuries, depression and alcohol problems, Peaty was still able to feel like something of a winner.
No world record from Walsh
There was a surprise in the women's 100 m dolphin. Instead of improving her world record (55.18) as planned, the American Gretchen Walsh had to settle for silver in 55.63 minutes behind her compatriot Torri Huske (55.59). Bronze went to China's Zhang Yufei.
