ASU, French swimming sensation Léon Marchand sweeps Olympics, won 4 gold medals in Paris

ASU swimmer Léon Marchand went back to his home country of France to compete in four separate Olympic races and while just one gold medal would be a major accomplishment for the 22-year-old, he was the champion in all four.

Marchand won the 400-meter individual medley, 200-meter butterfly, 200 breaststroke and on Friday, he pulled off a quadruple at the Paris 2024 Olympics by capturing the gold in the 200 IM.

With a record time of 1:54.06, he became the fourth swimmer to win four individual gold medals at one Olympic Games. The Sun Devils star joined Mark Spitz, Kristen Otto and ASU volunteer assistant coach Michael Phelps.

Marchand beat Great Britain’s Duncan Scott who finished in second at 1:55.31. Wang Shun ended up claiming the bronze medal in third with a 1:56.00, just holding off American Carson Foster by 10 milliseconds, 1:56.10.

Throughout this week full of glory, Marchand made a name for himself and it has given him the recognition he deserves around the globe. In front of a soldout crowd that roared with cheers for him every time he raced, giving France four gold medals in return will be a moment that he will never forget.

Turning pro and ending his collegiate career at Arizona State after last season, he has put the Sun Devils and its swim/dive program on the map.

He won eight NCAA individual titles and is arguably one of the most decorated swimmers that ASU has ever had. He was a 10-time NCAA champion, 17-time Pac-12 champ and 21-time CSCAA All-American in his three seasons in Tempe (2022-24). The Frenchman holds school records in the 100 free, 500 free, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM and 400 IM as well as NCAA records in the 200 IM, 200 breast, 500 free, 400 free relay and 400 medley relay.

The future is bright for Marchand as he cleanly swept all four of the competitions he swam in and if this is just the beginning of what is to come, he has the potential to become one of the best swimmers of all time.