Léon Marchand won the gold medal in the 200 metres butterfly final at the European Swimming Championships in Saint-Denis on Saturday, August 15. The 24-year-old swimmer from Toulouse completed the race in 1:51.72 during his only individual event of the competition.
Marchand finished more than two seconds ahead of Hungarian runner-up Richárd Márton, who secured silver with a time of 1:54.06. Greek swimmer Apostolos Siskos, born in 2005, earned third place to complete the podium in 1:54.13.
Marchand entered the final as the heavy favorite after winning his semi-final on Friday in 1:53.95. Swimming in lane four before a crowd in Saint-Denis, he withstood a fast start from Hungarian swimmer Hubert Kos before pulling away with power and panache to take victory.
Kos, a close friend and training partner of Marchand, finished sixth in the final.
Post-Race Reactions and Milestone
After leaving the pool, Marchand thanked the spectators for supporting him. He told broadcaster France TV that the pool was on fire and that the crowd encouraged him enormously from start to finish.
Marchand said he executed a strong race and finished the final 50 metres very well, adding that he was very happy to win his European title. Speaking about Kos, Marchand said they enjoyed teasing each other in the call room before the race. He added that he appreciates Kos, that they train hard together, and that he was pleased they finally competed together in a race.
The triumph gave the Dauphins du TOEC club member from Haute-Garonne the only individual title missing from his career record. It marked his first individual European gold medal, following a silver medal won with the French 4x200m freestyle relay team on Monday, August 10.
Overcoming Injury Doubts
Marchand dominated the final despite competing with an injured right adductor muscle. The quadruple Olympic champion from the Paris Games admitted to experiencing significant uncertainty in the weeks leading up to the competition.
Marchand told the broadcaster he had many doubts in his head and was initially unsure if he would compete at the European Championships, or if he would be able to swim the butterfly or crawl events. He said he chose to persevere because the competition was taking place in France, adding that winning with his time was great.
World Record Attempt
The gold medal victory came without breaking the world record, which had been considered a secondary goal for the final. Marchand finished a little over a second behind the world record time of 1:50.34 held by Hungarian Kristof Milak.
The seven-time world champion also finished a few tenths of a second short of his personal best time of 1:51.21 in the event. Marchand celebrated his championship as the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, played in the arena to crown him.
