By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
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Leon Marchand has already entered rarefied air at the Paris Olympics, but he joined another exclusive club on Friday night in winning the men’s 200 IM.
Marchand unleashed the second-fastest swim in history, 1:54.06, to break Michael Phelps‘ Olympic Record and pass the GOAT for #2 all-time in the event behind Ryan Lochte (1:54.00).
Marchand’s victory marked his fourth individual gold medal of the Games, making him just the fourth swimmer to accomplish the feat.
The 22-year-old Frenchman joins Phelps, Mark Spitz and Kristin Otto with four individual swimming golds at a single Olympics, while he also becomes the 13th swimmer to win four golds at one Games including relays.
Phelps won four individual golds at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and then claimed five individual golds four years later in Beijing en route to his record-setting total of eight in a single Games.
Spitz won four individual golds at the 1972 Olympics in Munich on the way to his seven total golds, which was the all-time single-Games record until Phelps broke it, and Otto won four individual and six total golds at the 1988 Games in Seoul.
Otto was notably a member of the East German contingent that had widespread doping throughout the team.
SWIMMERS WITH FOUR INDIVIDUAL GOLDS AT SINGLE OLYMPICS
| Olympics | Swimmer | Individual Golds |
| Beijing 2008 | Michael Phelps (USA) | Men’s 200 free, 100/200 fly, 200/400 IM |
| Munich 1972 | Mark Spitz (USA) | Men’s 100/200 free, 100/200 fly |
| Seoul 1988 | Kristin Otto (GDR) | Women’s 50/100 free, 100 back, 100 fly |
| Athens 2004 | Michael Phelps (USA) | Men’s 100/200 fly, 200/400 IM |
| Paris 2024 | Leon Marchand (FRA) | Men’s 200 breast, 200 fly, 200/400 IM |
SWIMMERS WITH FOUR GOLDS AT SINGLE OLYMPICS
| Olympics | Swimmer | Gold Medals |
| Beijing 2008 | Michael Phelps (USA) | 8 |
| Munich 1972 | Mark Spitz (USA) | 7 |
| Athens 2004 | Michael Phelps (USA) | 6 |
| Seoul 1988 | Kristin Otto (GDR) | 6 |
| Seoul 1988 | Matt Biondi (USA) | 5 |
| Rio 2016 | Michael Phelps (USA) | 5 |
| Tokyo 2020 | Caeleb Dressel (USA) | 5 |
| Paris 2024 | Leon Marchand (FRA) | 4 |
| London 2012 | Michael Phelps (USA) | 4 |
| Montreal 1976 | Kornelia Ender (GDR) | 4 |
| Montreal 1976 | John Naber (USA) | 4 |
| Rio 2016 | Katie Ledecky (USA) | 4 |
| Tokyo 2020 | Emma McKeon (AUS) | 4 |
| London 2012 | Missy Franklin (USA) | 4 |
| Tokyo 1964 | Don Schollander (USA) | 4 |
| Atlanta 1996 | Amy Van Dyken (USA) | 4 |
Marchand was essentially a lock to win the men’s 400 IM early in the competition, and he did so in dominant fashion by setting the Olympic Record in 4:02.95 to win by more than five and a half seconds.
His biggest tests came on Wednesday, when Marchand took on the defending Olympic champions in both the 200 fly and 200 breast. He came through in spades, upending Kristof Milak in the 200 fly and Zac Stubblety-Cook in the 200 breast, setting Olympic Records in both.
Marchand put the cherry on top on Friday, obliterating the men’s 200 IM field with a blistering breaststroke split and then a sensational final underwater to win gold by 1.25 seconds.
In Paris, the only other swimmers with multiple gold medals are Mollie O’Callaghan (3), Summer McIntosh (2), Kaylee McKeown (2), Ariarne Titmus (2), and Shayna Jack (2). Only McIntosh and McKeown have two individual golds.
Marchand has a chance to add to his medal tally in the men’s medley relay, and maybe even the mixed medley relay, later in the meet.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Leon Marchand Becomes Fourth Swimmer In History To Win Four Individual Golds At Single Games