Frenchman Léon Marchand was crowned Olympic champion in the 200m butterfly on Wednesday, July 31 at La Défense Arena, adding a second gold medal to his list of achievements after his very first title obtained on Sunday in the 400m individual medley. He will compete in a second final at 10:31 p.m., in the 200m breaststroke, to try to win another Olympic crown during the same evening, a feat never before achieved by men at the Olympic Games.
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Léon Marchand has come halfway. Lined up in two finals scheduled for the same evening at La Défense Arena, the 22-year-old Frenchman added a second Olympic title to his haul announced as one of the most ambitious of the French team. Crowned in style in the 400m medley on Sunday, he won a second Olympic title in the 200m butterfly after a phenomenal race.
Bob Bowman’s protégé had a tough time this time against the Hungarian Kristof Milak, world record holder for the distance and his main competitor in the pool for his first final of the evening in the 200m butterfly. Distanced until the 150m mark, the Frenchman made a stratospheric comeback in the final straight to overtake Milak and win the title at the same time as a new Olympic record (1’51”21) in a Défense Arena that roared until the eardrums exploded in front of its champion’s feat.
The 22-year-old from Toulouse will return to the pool at 10:31 p.m. for the 100m breaststroke final. He hopes to win a third Olympic title in as many finals, and become the first swimmer to be crowned twice in the same evening.
More information to come…
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