Announced as the face of these Paris Games, Leon Marchand achieved a thrilling victory in the 400m individual medley. Today we will discuss about Leon Marchand College: French swimming star,Net worth,World record.
Leon Marchand College: French swimming star,Net worth,World record
Leon Marchand touched the wall to win the men’s 400-meter individual medley, breathed a sigh of relief and forever etched himself in French athletic history. He climbed over the lane line and raised his right hand and pointed towards the sky.
The 22-year-old Frenchman who came with the hopes and dreams of his countrymen and women somehow lived up to every single one of them. His time of 4:02.95 set a new Olympic record, breaking the record set by Michael Phelps at the Beijing Games in 2008, and gave Marchand the first Olympic gold medal of his career.
Marchand, who competed for Arizona State University and now lives in Austin, Texas, dominated the event, combining freestyle, back, breast and butterfly strokes.
At times during the race, Marchand was so far ahead that it seemed as if he was swimming in a different pool.
In a sport where victories are often rare, he touched the wall more than five seconds ahead of Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita, who won the silver medal.
The finish of 4:02:95 was strong enough to set a new Olympic record, breaking the mark set by Michael Phelps at the Beijing Games in 2008.
Marchand said, “I got goosebumps on the podium.” “I felt really proud to be me and to be French.”
French swimming star
Marchand, with his boyish good looks, has emerged as a national icon these Paris Olympics. After his victory on Sunday night, French President Emmanuel Macron called to congratulate him.
Bob Bowman coached Marchand at ASU before turning professional this spring and helped prepare him for these Olympics.
He described Marchand’s best swim so far in the event, saying, “That was a great swim.” “He can swim faster than that. He’s got speed, he’s got stamina.”
Leon Marchand College: French swimming star,Net worth,World record
American swimmer Carson Foster also won the bronze medal with a strong performance in the medley final.
“I haven’t had good races in big spots, so tonight felt good,” Foster said.
But even he seemed surprised by Marchand’s performance and the roaring French crowd.
“It was pretty wild,” Foster said of the atmosphere at the packed arena. “For Leon to be able to do this in his own country was special. I’ll be able to tell my kids about it someday.”
Another silver for American swimmers
In another upset for American swimmers, Nick Fink tied with famed British Olympian Adam Peaty for the silver medal in the men’s 100 meter breaststroke final.
“I didn’t have a lot of thoughts going through my head,” Fink said of her surprising medal performance. “It was kind of like ‘go-go-go.’ I knew it was going to be really close and everyone was within earshot.”
Fink and Peaty finished less than a second behind Italian Nicolo Martinenghi who won the gold medal, their country’s first medal at these Games.
Net worth
According to Forbes, Vance’s estimated net worth ranges from approximately $5 million (per Celebrity Net Worth) to $10 million.
After graduating from Ohio State University, Vance went to Yale Law School, where he graduated without student loan debt due to his Marine Corps service and high-paying jobs at elite law firms, Forbes reports.
After receiving his law degree, Vance and his future wife Usha Chilukuri took up clerking jobs in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Washington, D.C. Moved to Forbes. Forbes writes that Chilukuri was a clerk for then-Appeals Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Vance started at a corporate law firm. Eventually, the couple moved to California, where Vance became part of Mithril, a venture capital firm co-founded by Peter Thiel.
In 2016, Vance wrote about coming from a poverty-stricken area of the Appalachian Mountains in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” Two years later, JD and Usha Vance bought a home in Cincinnati for $1.4 million – which Forbes now estimates to be worth $1.8 million.
In 2021, Vance had between $3 million and $10 million in venture holdings and liquid assets, Forbes said. The following year, he ran successfully for the Senate in Ohio.
World record
Leon Marchand holds the world record in the 400 m individual medley and won world championships in that event in 2022 and 2023. He was missing one thing – an Olympic gold medal. But now the French swimmer has that too.
Marchand led throughout the race and broke Michael Phelps’ Olympic record with a time of 4:02.95.
Before Marchand was announced, the crowd at La Defense Arena was chanting his name and singing the “Marseillaise“. When he was announced they began to cheer and Marchand raised both hands and waved to the crowd.
Once he was in the pool, Marchand remained in the lead throughout the race. It did not appear that his stroke was weak, as he did not let any of his rivals back into the race. Once his victory was official, Marchand sat on the lane divider and waved to the screaming crowd. He had a wide smile on his face as he stepped onto the podium at the medal ceremony, and closed his eyes for a moment as he joined his compatriots in singing the national anthem.
“The atmosphere was amazing, I don’t know how to explain it. I had goosebumps before and during the race as well. In the breaststroke section I could hear everyone cheering for me. That was special and winning today was really surreal.” I was amazing,” Marchand said after the swim.
The real battle came down to silver and bronze medals. Japan’s Matsushita Tomoyuki overtook America’s Carson Foster, with Matsushita winning by 0.04 seconds. Great Britain’s Max Litchfield finished fourth.
Chase Kalisz of America, who won gold medal in 400 IM at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, did not make it to the final.
