NANTERRE, France — Léon Marchand touched the wall to win the men’s 400-meter individual medley, letting out a roar and cementing himself in French athletic history forever.
His time of 4:02.95 set a new Olympic record, previously held by Michael Phelps, and earned him the first Olympic gold medal of his career.
American Chase Kalisz, the Tokyo gold medalist in the event, failed to qualify for the final earlier on Sunday.
It’s deafening in here as Léon Marchand is introduced ahead of the 400 IM final.
So has his coach, Bob Bowman, who knows a thing or two about this spotlight having coached Michael Phelps throughout the entirety of his illustrious career.
Persons:
France — Léon Marchand, Frenchman, Michael Phelps, Tomoyuki Matsushita, Carson Foster, Chase Kalisz, Marchand, It’s, Léon Marchand, cr7thtS9CG — Nicole Auerbach, @NicoleAuerbach, Bob Bowman, Bowman, ” Marchand, it’s, 400IM, He’s, Leon Marchand, mpics &
Organizations:
La Défense, French, Athletic, rockstar
Locations:
NANTERRE, France, Tokyo, Paris