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The familiar tune of ‘La Marseillaise’ rung around Paris La Défense Arena as Léon Marchand raised his arm to give a massive fist pump.
‘Marchons, marchons…’, a quarter of an hour earlier, it was ‘Marchand, Marchand’.
The 22-year-old has now definitively established himself as the face of Paris 2024 by achieving one of the most remarkable performances in swimming history.
Over the course of two hours, he made history by becoming the first man in more than 100 years to win two individual swimming titles in a single session. The last to do so was Australian Phil Lane, who achieved the feat in the Seine back in 1900, with one of the races a 200m race over an obstacle course.
Not even the legendary Michael Phelps, who was coached by Bob Bowman, the man now overseeing the Frenchman had done what Marchand managed.
And what is more, he did it up against the most intense competition.
His first race was the 200m butterfly, with Hungary’s Kristof Milak, the world record holder and the Olympic champion standing in his way.
For 150 metres, it looked as though order would be restored. Milak’s personal best was a second faster than anyone in history and two better than Marchand.
But just as the challenge looked to be too great, Marchand started his attack. It is underwater where he is in a different league to anyone else, and as he managed nearly 15 metres after the final turn, lactic acid no doubt burning his arms, Marchand cut a body length deficit in half.
Suddenly it was on, and like every good predator, Marchand was relentless. Milak has completely dominated this event, but he had no answer to the Frenchman. The crowd noise was electric. When not used for the Olympics, this arena hosts rugby and rock concerts. It may never have experienced a crescendo like this though.
He touched home in a time of 1:51.21, breaking Milak’s Olympic record and overtaking Phelps as the second fastest man ever in the event.
Having done the unthinkable, Marchand then had to rest and recover. Two hours in swimming is nothing, and even less so when you have a victory ceremony and a first Marseillaise to sing.
With that behind him, he returned for his second challenge of the night – 200m breaststroke.
This time, it was Olympic champion and former world record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook who was his main rival.
The Australian is renowned for his finishing speed, often making up huge deficits to triumph. When Marchand went out under world record pace, the fear was that the fatigue would catch up with him.
As he tired, surely then Stubblety-Cook could strike.
But Marchand is no mere human. Even on a stroke where his underwater advantage is reduced dramatically, he is still the best around.
He did not quite break Qin Haiyang’s world record, but his time of 2:05.85 was still an Olympic best.
Marchand will be back on Thursday to start his pursuit of a fourth individual title. It is a feat only Phelps, Mark Spitz and Kristin Otto have ever managed.
After achieving the impossible, Marchand can do anything.
