Paris Olympics: Léon Marchand wins fourth gold, now bring on the comparisons to Michael Phelps

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PARIS — Le Roi Léon Marchand flung himself once more into the pool he’d conquered, and here, on a stage built for his greatness, on a magical Friday night, the French face of the 2024 Olympics became something more.

He won the 200-meter individual medley, and his fourth individual gold medal of these Games, in an Olympic-record time of 1:54:06 — just .06 off Ryan Lochte’s world record.

Over six indelible days at Paris La Défense Arena, he did things that swimming had never before seen.

And he prompted the ultimate Olympic comparison.

“It was insane; incredible,” American rival Carson Foster told Yahoo Sports. “You know, it’s hard, because I compete against him, so I want to stay locked in. … But, I mean, we’re probably seeing something that is similar to Phelps.”

Phelps, of course, is Michael, the GOAT on Mount Olympus, the owner of 28 Olympic medals. Marchand, not too long ago, was simply Léon from Toulouse; a week ago, he was still medal-less. He has a long way to go to catch the king of his sport. Some would argue he doesn’t yet belong in the same sentence.

But here, at his second Olympics — like Phelps, Marchand went to his first as a teen and came home empty-handed — he won a golden double that Phelps never even attempted. He equaled Phelps’ individual medal tally from Athens 2004 in a more disparate array of events. He delighted and inspired a home crowd unlike Phelps ever did. He broke Phelps’ Olympic records in both IMs.

And he validated all the comparisons, which have trailed him for a few years now.

Perhaps he is not The Next Michael; but he is definitely, for now, the heir to Phelps’ throne.

Marchand vs. Phelps

The comparisons, in many ways, date to 2020, when Marchand sent a cold email that changed his life. He was a talented teen swimmer exploring U.S. colleges. He wanted to go to Cal, but was told they didn’t have a full scholarship for him. So he reached out to coaches, including Bob Bowman — who was building a program at Arizona State after two decades as Phelps’ coach and mentor.

Léon assumed that Bowman wouldn’t answer. Bowman emailed back almost immediately. Léon buzzed with excitement.

They connected, first over Zoom, then eventually in the fall of 2021. As they prepared to launch a partnership that would bring Marchand to the top of the world and Bowman back into the limelight, they spoke about Marchand’s training regimen.

“He shows me workouts he did with Michael Phelps,” 18-year-old Léon said.

Then, Bowman set out to sculpt Marchand into the second coming.

Both of them, over the three years since, have frequently addressed the comparisons. “I don’t want to be compared to Phelps all the time,” Marchand said in 2022. “I’m very, very far from him. … I want to create my own path.”

But his path, month by month, swim by swim, began to mirror Phelps’ in so many ways. He made an international name for himself in the medleys. He mastered the underwater dolphin kick, even more so than the man he once called “an extraterrestrial” and “a bit of an idol.” In 2023, he smashed Phelps’ last remaining world record.

Phelps was on hand that day to crown King Léon. He draped a medal over Marchand’s head, and raised his hand, as if Marchand were a victorious boxer. Phelps had kept his distance from Bowman’s “new monster,” but he still lived in Arizona, and sometimes hung around the ASU program, which only fed the comparisons.

Bowman, meanwhile, never shied away from them. “That’s what [Phelps’] 4:04 felt like,” he said of Marchand’s 400 IM. “I know where we’re going with this.”

They are different swimmers; “both aerobic animals,” as Bowman said, but different types of physical freaks. They are different personalities — Phelps a combative dog, Marchand more gentle and quiet. They have different backgrounds and different futures.

But both, now, have generated the type of hype and lore that only comes around once in a generation.

Marchand lives up to the pre-Paris hype

A week ago, hype was all it was. But Sunday, and especially Wednesday, and finally Friday, Marchand lived up to all of it. He ignited the French public. His victories disrupted other Olympic events. His swimming wowed an entire sport.

“He’s Poseidon,” French backstroker Yohann Ndoye Brouard said, amazed. “I swear, he’s Aquaman. How does he have that much air to stay underwater?”

“It’s his moment,” Zac Stubblety-Cook, a beaten Australian breaststroker, said. “He’s hungry. He’s on the cusp of being one of the greatest swimmers. We’re just seeing the beginning.”

That was the feeling that swept through Paris La Défense Arena, like it did in Athens for Phelps 20 years earlier. Foster, who in another era might have contended for IM gold, spoke about the “honor” of swimming next to Marchand. “That’s something I’ll be able to tell my kids about one day, hopefully,” he said. “I swam next to Leon in his home country, in his home Olympics.”

Phelps, of course, won four individual golds, and followed it up with five at Beijing 2008. He won, and he kept winning. There is no telling how Marchand will handle his unprecedented success and fame.

But Bowman, on opening weekend here, made one thing very clear.

“He can be better,” Bowman said after the 400 IM. “He has not reached his potential. That was a great swim; he can definitely swim faster than that.”