In Nanterre, France, Léon Marchand kicked off his home Olympics with an impressive performance in the 400-meter individual medley preliminaries. The 22-year-old French swimmer notched the fastest time of 4 minutes and 8.30 seconds, cheered on by a lively crowd of around 15,000 fans at La Defense Arena. Marchand, who has drawn comparisons to swimming legend Michael Phelps and is coached by the same mentor, American Bob Bowman, seemed at ease as he glided through the water. He expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support from the spectators during the race.
Marchand, who is aspiring to clinch his first Olympic gold, is considered a frontrunner for the evening final. He finished more than a second ahead of his closest competitor, Max Litchfield from Britain, in the preliminaries. Among other notable swimmers advancing to the final are Japan’s Daiya Seto and American Carson Foster.
A major point of interest for the upcoming final will be whether Marchand can surpass his own world record of 4 minutes and 2.50 seconds, which he set during last year’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan. The swimmer noted that he aimed to conserve energy during the preliminaries to prepare for the challenge ahead.
In other swimming events, Romanian David Popovici secured the top spot in the men’s 200-meter freestyle preliminaries, while South African Tatjana Schoenmaker led the 100-meter breaststroke qualifiers. American star Lilly King, the world record holder and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, also advanced to the semifinals.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 100-meter backstroke, Hungary’s Hubert Kos recorded the fastest time, with American Ryan Murphy also progressing to the next round. Murphy is seeking to reclaim the Olympic title he won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
In a captivating showdown, Ariarne Titmus, known as “The Terminator,” continued her winning streak in the pool by dominating the 200-meter freestyle preliminaries. The Australian swimmer, fresh from her victory over Katie Ledecky in the 400 freestyle, is set to defend her title fiercely in the event. Her impressive performance was second only to her compatriot, Mollie O’Callaghan, and Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey. Tokyo silver medalist Siobhan Haughey from Hong Kong also secured a spot in the semifinals.
Several other swimmers from different countries showcased their skills during the preliminaries, setting the stage for thrilling competitions in the upcoming finals and semifinals of the swimming events at the Paris Olympics.
