Fans Name One Swimmer the ‘French Michael Phelps’ After Olympic Performance

United States legend Michael Phelps has a whopping 28 Olympic medals to his name. While Phelps is arguably the greatest swimmer to ever compete in the event, a new name emerged during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

That name is Leon Marchand, the French sensation who has captivated the Olympic crowd and made his home country proud in the process.

On Wednesday night, Marchand earned the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly. Not even two hours later, he won the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke in a never-before-seen turn of events.

Marchand became the first in Olympic history to win the gold in two events in the same year.

The French star competed in college at Arizona State and has the same coach as Phelps, Bob Bowman.

Marchand also won the gold in the 400-meter individual medley earlier in the Olympics, so he has three golds to his name. As such, fans named him "French Michael Phelps."

"Leon Marchand = the French Michael Phelps," one fan wrote on X. Another fan wrote, "THE FRENCH MICHAEL PHELPS IS AN ELECTRIC FACTORY!!!"

Another said, "So far France has won like seven gold medals. Leon Marchand has won three of them. Effectively the French Michael Phelps. Une dinguerie."

The fan reactions kept coming, and the comparison between Michael Phelps and Leon Marchand is something to watch.

New York Times writer Nicole Auerbach also wrote the same thing: "Meet Léon Marchand, the ‘French Michael Phelps’ ready to rule his home Olympics —"

Leon Marchand is suddenly becoming a household name worldwide, even more so after his magnificent Olympics performance on Wednesday night.

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