Paris Olympics: Léon Marchand wins gold again, now bring on the comparisons to Michael Phelps

PARIS — Le Roi Léon Marchand flung himself once more into the pool he'd conquered, and here, on a stage built for his greatness, on a magical Friday night, the French face of the 2024 Olympics became something more.

He won the 200-meter individual medley, and his fourth individual gold medal of these Games, in 1:54:06, an Olympic record time.

Over six indelible days at Paris La Défense Arena, he did things that swimming had never before seen.

And he prompted the ultimate Olympic comparison.

“It was insane; incredible,” American rival Carson Foster told Yahoo Sports. “You know, it's hard, because I compete against him, so I want to stay locked in. … But, I mean, we're probably seeing something that is similar to Phelps.”

Phelps, of course, is Michael, the GOAT on Mount Olympus, the owner of 28 Olympic medals. Marchand, not too long ago, was simply Léon from Toulouse; a week ago, he was still medal-less. He has a long way to go to catch the king of his sport. Some would argue he doesn’t yet belong in the same sentence.

But here, at his second Olympics — like Phelps, Marchand went to his first as a teen and came home empty-handed — he won a golden double that Phelps never even attempted. He equaled Phelps’ individual medal tally from Athens 2004 in a more disparate array of events. He delighted and inspired a home crowd unlike Phelps ever did.

And he validated all the comparisons, which have trailed him for a few years now.

Perhaps he is not The Next Michael; but he is definitely, for now, the heir to Phelps’ throne.