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 stimulated 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, 23 of them gold. 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.

So 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.

"I grew up looking up to Phelps, and I still think he's the greatest of all time," Foster said. "But I think Léon, with the track he's on, definitely deserves to be in that conversation."

Marchand and Phelps

The conversation, in many ways, dates to 2020, when Marchand sent a cold email that changed his life. He was a talented teen exploring U.S. colleges. He wanted to go to Cal, but was told “quite late” that Cal couldn’t offer a full scholarship. 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 respond. 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, they spoke about Phelps. "I know how Coach Bowman was working with him," Marchand said. "And I think we're trying to do the same."

As they worked, they were frequently asked about the Phelps parallel. “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’. 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. "He was an amazing guy to meet," Marchand said. "He gave me a lot of advice." That Phelps lived near Arizona State, and called many Marchand races as a commentator, only fed the comparisons.

And although he wanted to chisel his own path, Marchand never shied away from them. "I'm always really proud when someone's comparing me to MP," he said Friday. "He's a legend of the swimming world. He will always be. So, yeah, of course [I enjoy the comparisons]."

Many marvelous swimmers would shrink from the constant analogies. They'd avoid the associated pressure.

But not Marchand. That's another similarity he demonstrated this week.

"Léon joins Michael in that very rare club of people who, when the pressure is higher, they perform better," Bowman said.

As swimmers, they are distinct; “both aerobic animals,” as Bowman said, but different types of athletic freaks. Phelps was physically imposing; Marchand is "not very big and powerful, but he's very hydrodynamic," Bowman explained. They are different personalities, too — Phelps a combative dog, Marchand more "gentle" and quiet. They have different backgrounds, different futures, different circumstances, different ambition.

But "both have a work ethic second to none," Bowman said.

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

Marchand: 'It's only the beginning'

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 Léon in his home country, in his home Olympics.”

Phelps, of course, won four individual golds in Athens, then followed it up with five at Beijing 2008. He equaled Mark Spitz — Marchand now joins them as the only men with four solo golds at a single Games — then added to his Olympic program and created a new class of his own. To equal Phelps, Marchand will have to sustain; and he'll have to expand.

But as he lit up La Défense, and flashed four fingers, and spread his wings to soak up France's adulation, not a soul dared doubt that he can.

Bowman, when asked, said that Marchand "possibly" could add to his program. "I'd like to," Bowman said. He mentioned the 200 freestyle, the 100 breast and the 100 butterfly as possibilities — in addition to the 200 breast, 200 fly and both IMs. (Phelps' golden repertoire featured the 200 free, the 100 and 200 fly, and the IMs, but never breaststroke.)

Phelps, who watched along in the arena or from NBC's Paris studios — and celebrated Marchand's double with an animated fist pump and a "WOOO!" — sounded confident: "He's gonna be here for a long time. He's gonna make a lot of noise."

And Marchand, from the top of the mountain, confirmed that this would not be his only peak. "It's not over for me. It's only the beginning," he said. I'm really excited to — my next goal is LA28."