France’s Leon Marchand wins gold with in men’s 200m butterfly

In swimming as France’s Leon Marchand Wins gold with in men’s 200m butterfly he as won his second swimming gold of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on Wednesday 31 July, claiming the men’s 200m butterfly title in a new Olympic record time of 1:51.21.

Marchand made a last-minute move to pass Hungary’s Kristof Milak, the defending Olympic gold medallist and world record holder, who settled for silver with a time of 1:51.75, a mere 0.54 seconds behind. Canada’s Ilya Kharun took bronze, a first medal for Canada in this event.

The volume of the crowd was at a deafening roar in La Defense Arena. Marchand took the lead after the final turn, which saw the Frenchman powering underwater, coming up last and then accelerating past Milok to find the wall.

This victory marks the second gold medal for France’s Marchand, who won his first gold in the 400 individual medley on Sunday 28 July. The Frenchman has now set two Olympic records in as many races.

As the event concluded and news of Marchand’s win spread, the French crowd at Porte de La Chapelle Arena, where badminton is being contested, broke into chants of “Léon Marchand,” displaying how the Frenchman is truly the face, at the very least for the host nation, of these Olympic Games in Paris.

All eyes continue to be on Marchand, who is competing in a double-header. His competition continues in less than two hours in the 200m breaststroke final where he could win an incredible double gold in individual swimming events in a single day.

Following this days comepetition, the 200m individual relay is all that remains on Thursday 1 August.

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SWIMMING: MEN’S 200M BUTTERFLY PODIUM

Gold: Leon Marchand (FRA)
Silver: Kristof Milak (HUN)
Bronze: Ilya Kharun (CAN)