French swimmer sets Olympic record
(VOVWORLD) - French swimming sensation Leon Marchand won the 400 metre medley gold at the Paris Games on Sunday and also broke the Olympic record, previously set by US great Michael Phelps.
 Gold medalist Leon Marchand of France poses after the Men 400m Freestyle final of the Swimming competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Paris La Defense Arena in Paris, France, 28 July 2024. (EPA Photo) |
The 22-year-old clocked 4 minutes 02.95 seconds and now holds both Olympic and world records in the event. Swimming icon Phelps had set the previous record of 4 minutes 03.84 seconds at the 2008 Beijing games.
Marchand's record is still less than the world record (4 minutes 02.50 seconds) set by himself at the world championship in Fukuoka (Japan) last year.
As a broadcast contributor for NBC at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Michael Phelps sent his congratulation to Leon Marchand for his achievement.