Léon Marchand made history for France by winning the gold medal and breaking the long-standing record held by the legendary Michael Phelps in the men's 200-meter individual medley. Marchand achieved what many thought was impossible in the near future, as Phelps' times were always extraordinary and tough to beat.

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Born in Toulouse, the 22-year-old Marchand shattered Phelps' record with his exceptional swimming talent, particularly in the individual medley and butterfly events.

In the race, Marchand finished first with a record-breaking time of 4:02.95, also surpassing Japan's Tomoyuki Matsushita, who came in second with a time of 4:08.62. American Carson Foster rounded out the podium, finishing third with a time of 4:08.66, just behind Matsushita.

This achievement marks a historic moment for Marchand, as he broke the record set by Michael Phelps during the Beijing 2008 Olympics, where Phelps won gold with a time of 4:03.83, beating Hungary's Lásászlo Cseh (4:06.16) and fellow American Ryan Lochte (4:08.09).

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Despite this incredible feat, Marchand still has several events left at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he aims to win more medals and break more records in the men's 200-meter butterfly, men's 200-meter breaststroke, and men's 200-meter individual medley events.