By Humberto Viera
28 Jul 2024, 19:30 PM EDT
In a spectacular day of swimming finals, French swimming star Leon Marchand claimed gold and set a new Olympic record in the 400m individual medley at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Marchand broke the Olympic record held by Michael Phelps since 2008, clocking a time of 4:03.84 minutes. The talented French swimmer maintained a world record pace (which he himself holds at 4:02.50 minutes) for over 250 metres of the competition. Although he slightly slowed down in the final part, he managed to secure the Olympic best with a time of 4:02.95 minutes.
In the Parisian pool, Marchand had no close competition. Second place and the silver medal went to Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsuchita, who clocked a time of 4:08.62 minutes, while American Carson Foster, in a constant fight for silver, took bronze with a time of 4:08.66 minutes. This gold is only the first of four that Marchand hopes to win at these Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, American Torri Huske claimed her second medal at Paris 2024 by winning the women’s 100-meter butterfly. In a tight final, Huske dominated the event from start to finish, stopping the clock at 55.59 seconds. Her compatriot Gretchen Walsh took the silver medal with a time of 55.53 seconds, while bronze went to China’s Yufei Shang, who clocked 56.21 seconds.
Huske had already claimed a silver medal in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, where the United States finished behind the Australian team, which took gold.
In the final final of the evening, Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi stunned the crowd by taking gold in the men’s 100m breaststroke, which was the most hotly contested event of the night. Martinenghi put in an exceptional performance, outpacing his rivals with a time of 57.47 seconds, setting a new benchmark in this event.
Swimming at Paris 2024 has been full of excitement and record-breaking, with standout performances leaving an indelible mark on Olympic history. With several finals still to be contested, athletes continue to prove that these Games will be remembered for their extraordinary feats and achievements.
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