Leon Marchand of France reacts after winning the race and establishing Olympic record in Men's 200m Breaststroke Final at Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France on July 31, 2024.French poster boy Leon Marchand and US distance dynamo Katie Ledecky made history while the Paris pool saw its first world record on one of the great nights of
Before that, Marchand sent sound levels off the scale at the La Defense Arena as he pulled off an unprecedented 200 metres butterfly and breaststroke double, with a medal ceremony in between. Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook, the 2021 200m breaststroke champion in Tokyo, had to settle for silver this time out while Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands took the bronze.
Ledecky also seized her chance to shine, although the win was never really in doubt, as she defended her 1 500 freestyle title for a record-equalling eighth gold.