July 31st 2024.
Renowned swimmer and Olympic legend Michael Phelps is confident that young French swimmer Leon Marchand will make a big splash at the upcoming Olympics. After witnessing Marchand's impressive performance at the Paris Olympic Games, Phelps declared it to be one of the greatest doubles in the history of the sport.
The 22-year-old Marchand, who made his Olympic debut in Paris three years ago, left the crowd of 17,000 French fans in awe as he defeated the reigning champion and world-record holder, Hungary's Kristof Milak, in the 200m butterfly event. And that was just the beginning of Marchand's remarkable evening.
In his second event of the night, Marchand returned to the pool and once again dominated the competition, this time winning the 200m breaststroke with ease. This accomplishment makes him the first swimmer in 48 years to secure two gold medals in a single evening, following in the footsteps of East Germany's Kornelia Ender in 1976.
Phelps, who holds the record for the most Olympic medals with a staggering 28, including 23 golds, was thoroughly impressed by Marchand's performance. He praised the Frenchman's skill and potential, stating that he will surely make a lot of noise in the swimming world for years to come.
But Marchand wasn't the only swimmer to leave Phelps in awe at the Paris Olympics. China's Pan Zhanle also made a huge impression by breaking his own world record in the 100m freestyle event. The 19-year-old's time of 46.40 was a full second faster than his closest competitor, Australia's Kyle Chalmers, who won silver. Romania's David Popovici took home the bronze.
Phelps couldn't contain his amazement at Pan's performance, calling it "mind-blowing." He admitted that in his long and illustrious career, he had never seen such a significant margin of victory in the 100m freestyle event. Pan's record-breaking time of 46.40 puts him one step closer to the elusive 45-second mark, a feat that Phelps finds hard to comprehend.
As the Paris Olympics continue, Phelps and the rest of the world will surely be keeping a close eye on these rising stars in the swimming world, eager to see what they will achieve next.
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