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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Sport
Paul Myers

Léon Marchand adds fourth gold to Olympic swimming haul

Frenchman Léon Marchand won the 200m individual medley to claim his fourth gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. AP - Natacha Pisarenko

Surely a film has to follow. Léon Marchand on Friday night won the 200m individual medley to add a fourth Olympic gold medal to his trophy cabinet.

The 22-year-old Frenchman claimed the race in one minute, 54.06 seconds as 15,000 mostly partisans roared on his success.

Duncan Scott from Britain won the silver and Shun Wang from China took the bronze medal.

France's President Emmanuel Macron, who had earlier watched the equestrian team's ultimately failed bid for gold in the jumping event at Versailles, was among the crowd at the Paris La Défense Arena.

"You never forget a moment like that," Marchand told France Télévisions after the race. "It was incredible, it was magical.

"Winning four medals in five days, I don't know what to say. After the semi-finals on Thursday night I was really tired but it was a great race. I'm so happy."

Gold medallist France's Leon Marchand stands on the podium of the men's 200m breaststroke swimming event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris, on 31 July, 2024. © AFP / OLI SCARFF

On Sunday, Marchand won the 400m individual medley. And within two hours on Wednesday night he had added the 200m butterfly and 200m backstroke to the haul.

He is the first Frenchman to win four medals at a single summer or winter Olympic Games.

In other events in the swimming pool, Cameron McEvoy and Kaylee McKeown won more golds for Australia.

McEvoy took the 50 freestyle and 23-year-old McKeown followed with a victory in the 200m backstroke to become the first female swimmer to retain her crown in the event.

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