Leon Marchand of France made history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by winning the men’s 400m individual medley in dominating fashion, setting a new Olympic record in the process. The 22-year-old swimmer, who had broken Michael Phelps’s world record in the same event last year, was the heavy favorite and lived up to expectations with a sensational performance. This victory marked France’s first Olympic swimming gold since 2012.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 100m breaststroke final, Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi upset British swimmer Adam Peaty, denying him a third successive win in the event. Peaty, who was aiming to emulate Michael Phelps’s feat of winning the same title at three consecutive Games, had to settle for silver along with American Nic Fink. Martinenghi’s time of 59.03 seconds was just enough to secure the gold.
In the women’s 100m butterfly final, Torri Huske of Team USA pulled off an upset by beating world record holder Gretchen Walsh to win the gold medal. Huske’s strong finish allowed her to edge out her teammate by a small margin, with China’s Zhang Yufei taking the bronze. This victory continued the trend of there never being a repeat winner in the event since it was first held in 1956.
Overall, it was a thrilling day of swimming at the Paris Olympics, with unexpected results and new champions being crowned. The performances of Leon Marchand, Nicolo Martinenghi, and Torri Huske will go down in history as memorable moments of the Games.
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Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
