Marchand races to fourth Olympic gold while Scott claims another silver

Another victory, another gold medal, and another Olympic record for Léon Marchand. This time he achieved it in the 200m individual medley event. The cheers were so loud that they reached the Stade de France, causing a delay in the track races. Despite his exhaustion, Marchand managed to muster the strength to celebrate his victory, smiling and acknowledging the crowd once he exited the pool.

Marchand competed in his 11th race in just six days and managed to secure his fourth gold medal and fourth record. Duncan Scott from Great Britain came in second, but he was still quite far behind. Scott earned the silver medal with a time of 1 minute and 55.31 seconds. This medal marked his eighth Olympic win, putting him right behind Jason Kenny for the most Olympic medals won by a British athlete.

Scott's win was the second silver medal for Britain that night, following Ben Proud's victory in the 50m freestyle. This was a great moment for Scott, as Proud had previously only reached fourth and fifth place in his last two Olympic finals. In the race in Paris, Scott was just 0.05 seconds behind Australia's Cam McEvoy. Although he initially felt some regret about not going faster, he quickly shifted to feeling content that he had finally won a medal. Scott acknowledged that it may not have been a gold medal, but he was still extremely happy with his achievement.

Scott was quite calm and composed as well. This race was his second quickest time ever. However, Marchand proved to be even faster. Scott acknowledged that he tried to keep up with Leon during parts of the race. He praised Leon for being the top swimmer in various events, such as the 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley, and 400m individual medley. Scott felt honored to compete against him in such a thrilling environment. The crowd's energy was incredible, and Scott felt grateful to be a part of such an exciting race.

Three years ago in Tokyo, Scott came in second place. It was disappointing for him to be a runner-up again, but he found some comfort in knowing he was beaten by one of the greatest swimmers of all time. He also felt better knowing he was able to defeat the man who had beaten him last time, Wang Shun from China. Wang finished in third place this time. He is one of 11 Chinese swimmers competing in Paris who had previously tested positive for a small amount of the banned substance TMZ. They were allowed to compete after authorities determined the positive test was due to food contamination.

For a moment, it seemed like Wang might outperform Marchand. Wang was in the lead after the butterfly leg and right behind him after the backstroke. However, Marchand surged ahead of him and the rest of the competitors during the breaststroke. By the end of that 50m stretch, Marchand had built such a commanding lead that no one could catch up to him during the freestyle. Marchand's breaststroke is truly a sight to behold at the Games. His stroke is graceful and seemingly slow, yet he manages to pull ahead of everyone with ease. It's as captivating as the ebb and flow of the tide.

The 200m medley was the gold medal that Marchand wanted the most out of the four events this week. His mother, Céline, competed in the same event at Barcelona in 1992 and placed 14th, while his father, Xavier, finished 8th in Atlanta in 1996 and 7th in Sydney in 2000. Emmanuel Macron showed up to support Marchand as he aimed to achieve what his parents could not. He cheered loudly alongside thousands of other French fans in the arena. Marchand's performance at the Games will be remembered as a success in France, no matter what happens next.

Still, his win might not have been the most well-received award the country earned last night. Just twenty minutes prior, Florent Manaudou secured the bronze in the 50m freestyle, coming in behind Proud and McEvoy. Manaudou, who is 33 years old, holds the title of the oldest male swimmer at the event and, though he may soon lose that title, he remains a fan favorite. This is not his first time on the podium, as he won gold in this event in London and silver in Rio. After Rio, he took a break from swimming due to personal struggles and decided to play handball in the French second division. This unconventional decision only added to his charm with the French public.

He returned to Tokyo, where he finished in second place once again. After that, he knew he had to stay focused for the Games in Paris. Proud shared that the best moment for him was standing on the podium with Florent Manaudou. It was the fourth time Manaudou stood on the podium, completing a remarkable achievement. Proud was amazed when he saw Manaudou's name up there and thought it was truly incredible. Swimming has often been in the shadow of other sports at the Olympics, but in Paris, Marchand, Manaudou, and the French team have elevated the sport to a level not seen since Michael Phelps' incredible performance in Beijing in 2008.

And appropriately, Marchand surpassed Phelps' previous Olympic record from the same Games. The previous record holder has been dethroned, hail to the new record holder.