200 metres Breaststroke, Men

France’s Léon Marchand had already had an excellent Olympics when the final of this event started on Wednesday, 31 July, at 22:31. On Sunday, he had won gold in the 400 individual medley. And only two hours before the start of this final, Marchand had won gold in the 200 metre butterfly. He was attempting a double without precedent at the Olympics.

Marchand’s biggest challenger was the defending gold medalist, Australian Zac Stubblety-Cook, gold medalist at the 2022 World Championships and Commonwealth Games. Stubblety-Cook was likely the favorite as Marchand did not often swim the 200 breaststroke internationally.

Marchand was out fastest in the final, with the fastest split on each of the first three laps, leading Stubblety-Cook by 1.18 seconds at 150 metres. The only question seemed to be if Marchand would tire from his efforts of the evening. He did not, finishing strongly and winning gold by almost a second, as Stubblety-Cook took silver. Behind them in the “other” race, Dutchman Caspar Corbeau won the bronze medal, more than a second behind Stubblety-Cook.

Before Marchand, no man had won two individual gold medals in the same session at the Olympics since 1900, much less in two 200 metre events; it had been done in 1988 by East German Kornelia Ender, in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. This was Marchand’s third individual gold of the Paris Olympics, something previously accomplished by men only four times, all Americans – Michael Phelps in 2008 with five, in 2004 with four; Mark Spitz in 1972 with four; and Caeleb Dressel in 2020 with three. Two days later, Marchand would return and win gold in the 200 IM, matching Spitz and Phelps.