What more can be said about Leon Marchand?
The French swimming sensation has electrified the 2024 Olympics, dominating the pool at Paris’ La Defense Arena. After collecting first-place finishes in the 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, and 400m individual medley, he went for the sweep Friday afternoon with the final of the 200m individual medley.
He did just that.
Marchand became only the fourth Olympic swimmer ever to win four individual gold medals in a single Olympics, completing the sweep of his individual events. The 22-year-old has been as advertised in his home country, and put himself in an elite category that consists of USA’s Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz, as well as Germany’s Kristin Otto.
There were two other finals on the day, with the men’s 50m freestyle starting the action, and the women’s 200m backstroke also on the docket. The Australian duo of Cameron McEvoy and Kaylee McKeown earned gold in the two races, respectively, as the Aussies continue to add onto their Olympic swimming medal total.
The Sporting News has you covered on full updates, results, and highlights from Day 7 of swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
MORE: Watch Olympics swimming live with Fubo (free trial)
Olympic swimming results
| Event | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| Men’s 50 Freestyle (Finals) | Cameron McEvoy (Australia) — 21.25 | Benjamin Proud (Great Britain) — 21.30 | Florent Manaudou (France) — 21.56 |
| Women’s 200 Backstroke (Finals) | Kaylee McKeown (Australia) — 2:03.73 | Regan Smith (USA) — 2:04.26 | Kylie Masse (Canada) — 2:05.57 |
| Men’s 200 Individual Medley (Finals) | Leon Marchand (France) — 1:54.06 | Duncan Scott (Great Britain) — 1:55.31 | Wang Shun (China) — 1:56.00 |
| Men’s 100 Butterfly (Semifinals 1) | Maxime Grousset (France) — 50.41 | Josh Linedo (Canada) — 50.42 | Nyls Korstanje (Netherlands) — 50.59 |
| Men’s 100 Butterfly (Semifinals 2) | Kristof Milak (Hungary) — 50.38 | Noe Ponti (Switzerland) — 50.60 | Ilya Kharun (Canada) — 50.68 |
| Women’s 200 Individual Medley (Semifinals 1) | Sydney Pickrem (Canada) — 2:09.65 | Yu Yiting (China) — 2:09.74 | Ella Ramsay (Australia) — 2:10.16 |
| Women’s 200 Individual Medley (Semifinals 2) | Alex Walsh (USA) — 2:07.45 | Summer McIntosh (Canada) — 2:08.30 | Kaye Douglass (USA) — 2:08.59 |
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
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Live swimming updates, highlights from 2024 Olympics
(All times Eastern).
3:45 p.m.: USA’s Alex Walsh races ahead of McIntosh to finish ahead of the Canadian in the second semifinal heat. Walsh clocked in at 2:07.45, which was 0.85 seconds ahead of McIntosh. USA’s Kate Douglass and Australia’s Kaylee McKeown also qualified for the finals, which take place tomorrow.
3:38 p.m.: It’s a Canadian finishing first in the first semifinal of the women’s 200-meter individual medley, but it’s not McIntosh. It’s Sydney Pickrem, who clocked in a time of 2:09.65. McIntosh and the second semifinal are up next.
3:27 p.m.: The last event of the day at La Defense Arena is the semifinals of the women’s 200-meter individual medley. This is Summer McIntosh’s race to lose, as the Canadian teenager is the favorite to win tomorrow’s final.
3:17 p.m.: The men’s 100-meter butterfly favorite, Hungary’s Kristof Milak, wins the second semifinal heat with a time of 50.38. Dressel fails to qualify for tomorrow, with all eight swimmers in the second heat recording a faster time than him.
3:10 p.m.: In the first men’s 100-meter butterfly semifinal, France’s Maxime Grousset finished first with a time of 50.41 seconds. The big story is that Caeleb Dressel is in deep trouble. He finished fifth in the heat, and will have to wait and see if he advances to tomorrow’s final.
3:02 p.m.: It’s just semifinals remaining on the afternoon. First is the mens’ 100-meter butterfly where Caeleb Dressel attempts to qualify for the final. He missed the podium earlier today in the 50-meter event.
2:52 p.m.: Was there any doubt? Leon Marchand sets an Olympic record and wins his fourth gold medal in as many events, claiming first in the men’s 200-meter individual medley. He beat second-place Duncan Scott of Great Britain by 1.25 seconds, while China’s Wang Shun claimed bronze.
LEON MARCHAND DOES IT AGAIN. 🤯
HIS FOURTH GOLD MEDAL OF THE #ParisOlympics.
📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/Mk1pStz1Oz
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 2, 2024
2:48 p.m.: Now it’s Leon Marchand time. The French star can earn a fourth gold medal in his fourth event in the men’s 200-meter individual medley. USA’s Carson Foster, Great Britain’s Duncan Scott and Japan’s Daiya Soto are all competing for the podium as well.
2:44 p.m.: Kaylee McKeown does it. The Australian sweeps both backstroke events, claiming gold in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:03.14. She becomes the first Aussie ever to win four individual gold medals in swimming. USA’s Regan Smith earns silver while Canada’s Kylie Masse wins the bronze.
2:39 p.m.: Up next is the women’s 200-meter backstroke. This is an event that sports USA’s Phoebe Bacon and Regan Smith, who both have a real shot at reaching the podium, but Australia’s Kaylee McKeown is the favorite. She won the 100-meter backstroke event.
2:36 p.m.: Australia’s Cameron McEvoy narrowly takes the gold, as he beats Great Britain’s Benjamin Proud by 0.05 seconds, clocking in a time of 21.25 seconds. France’s Florent Manaudou takes the bronze, as Dressel finishes sixth, missing the podium. Dressel’s streak of either winning gold or nothing continues.
2:35 p.m.: And they’re off.
2:28 p.m.: Up first this afternoon is the men’s 50-meter freestyle. Caeleb Dressel is aiming to defend his gold medal from Tokyo, and can win a historic ninth gold in his career if he pulls off the victory in Paris.
2:05 p.m.: In the women’s 200-backstroke, it’s a pair of Americans looking to make the podium. Regan Smith and Phoebe Bacon have a real shot at medalling in the event. Bacon finished with the best time in the heats yesterday.
1:35 p.m.: Caeleb Dressel is going for gold in the men’s 50-meter freestyle, and if he does place first, he’ll draw into a tie with Mark Spitz for the second-most gold medal out of any Olympic male swimmer. No one is catching Michael Phelps’ record of 23, but Dressel can get No. 9 today.
12:45 p.m.: There is still more than an hour and a half until the semifinal and final races this afternoon, but all eyes are expected to be on Leon Marchand. The French swimming sensation is enjoying a breakout Olympics, and can go a perfect 4-for-4 in individual events when he competes in the men’s 200-meter individual medley.
11:50 a.m.: In the mixed 4×200 medley relay, it was the United States that came out on top in the qualifying heats. The quartet of Regan Smith, Charlie Swanson, Caeleb Dressel and Abbey Weitzeil finished the relay in 3:40.98, beating Australia and China. The final is set for tomorrow, and it is unclear who the four swimmers will be for the United States.
11:20 a.m.: For the women’s 800-meter freestyle, take a guess who came out on top in the heats? The long-distance machine herself, Katie Ledecky. The American star finished 1.86 seconds ahead of her fellow countrywoman Paige Madden for the best time in the event. That final takes place tomorrow.
10:57 a.m.: In the women’s 200-meter individual medley, as expected, Canada’s Summer McIntosh stole the show. The Canadian teenager recorded the best swim out of the qualifying heats at 2:09.90. USA’s Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh both qualified for the semifinals, which will take place later this afternoon.
10:45 a.m.: In the men’s 100-meter butterfly, Hungary’s Kristof Milak clocked in the fastest time, racing in 50.19 seconds. USA’s Caeleb Dressel recorded a time of 50.83, the third-fastest in his heat and the sixth-best overall. The group will compete in the semifinals later this afternoon.
10:30 a.m.: There were four qualifying heats that took place this morning — the men’s 100-meter butterfly, the women’s 200-meter individual medley, the women’s 800-meter freestyle and the mixed 4×100 medley relay. The men’s 100-meter butterfly and the women’s 200-meter individual medley will have semifinals later in the afternoon before all four have the finals tomorrow.
How to watch Olympic swimming
- Dates: July 27-Aug. 4
- Time: 5 a.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBC, USA Network
- Live stream: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, Fubo
Olympic swimming begins at 5 a.m. ET each day from July 27-Aug. 3. There will only be heats in the morning session. Every day will have an afternoon session that begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Aug. 4 is the final day of competition and will only feature an afternoon session with five finals races.
Fans can tune into the swimming competitions on NBC and USA Network. Those streaming can watch via Peacock, NBCOlympics.com or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Olympic swimming schedule 2024
Olympic swimming begins on Saturday, July 27, and goes until Sunday, Aug. 4.
Swimmers begin at 5 a.m. ET each morning with heats that run until 2:30 p.m. ET when the afternoon session begins. The afternoon features semifinal and final races.
Aug. 4 will not have any morning races and will feature four finals in the afternoon.
Saturday, July 27
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women’s 100 Butterfly (Heats) | Women’s 100 Butterfly (Semifinals) |
| Women’s 400 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 400 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men’s 100 Breaststroke (Heats) | Women’s 400 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men’s 400 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 100 Breaststroke (Semifinals) |
| Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay (Heats) | Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay (Finals) |
| Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay (Heats) | Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay (Finals) |
Sunday, July 28
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Men’s 200 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 400 Individual Medley (Finals) |
| Men’s 400 Individual Medley (Heats) | Women’s 100 Butterfly (Finals) |
| Women’s 100 Breaststroke (Heats) | Men’s 200 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Men’s 100 Backstroke (Heats) | Women’s 100 Breaststroke (Semifinals) |
| Women’s 200 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 100 Backstroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men’s 100 Breaststroke (Finals) |
| — | Women’s 200 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
Monday, July 29
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women’s 400 Individual Medley (Heats) | Women’s 400 Individual Medley (Finals) |
| Women’s 100 Backstroke (Heats) | Men’s 200 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men’s 800 Freestyle (Heats) | Women’s 100 Backstroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men’s 100 Backstroke (Finals) |
| — | Women’s 100 Breaststroke (Finals) |
| — | Women’s 200 Freestyle (Finals) |
Tuesday, July 30
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Men’s 200 Butterfly (Heats) | Men’s 100 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Men’s 100 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 200 Butterfly (Semifinals) |
| Women’s 1500 Freestyle (Heats) | Women’s 100 Backstroke (Finals) |
| Women’s 100 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 800 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men’s 200 Breaststroke (Heats) | Women’s 100 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Men’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay (Heats) | Men’s 200 Breaststroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay (Finals) |
Wednesday, July 31
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women’s 200 Breaststroke (Heats) | Women’s 100 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men’s 200 Backstroke (Heats) | Men’s 200 Butterfly (Finals) |
| Women’s 200 Butterfly (Heats) | Women’s 200 Butterfly (Semifinals) |
| — | Women’s 1500 Freestyle (Finals) |
| — | Men’s 200 Backstroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Women’s 200 Breaststroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men’s 200 Breaststroke (Finals) |
| — | Men’s 800 Freestyle (Finals) |
Thursday, Aug. 1
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women’s 200 Backstroke (Heats) | Women’s 200 Butterfly (Finals) |
| Men’s 50 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 200 Backstroke (Finals) |
| Men’s 200 Individual Medley (Heats) | Men’s 50 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay (Heats) | Women’s 200 Breaststroke (Finals) |
| — | Women’s 200 Backstroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men’s 200 Individual Medley (Semifinals) |
| — | Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay (Finals) |
Friday, Aug. 2
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Men’s 100 Butterfly (Heats) | Men’s 50 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Women’s 200 Individual Medley (Heats) | Women’s 200 Backstroke (Finals) |
| Women’s 800 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 200 Individual Medley (Finals) |
| Mixed 4×100 Medley Relay (Heats) | Men’s 100 Butterfly (Semifinals) |
| — | Women’s 200 Individual Medley (Semifinals) |
Saturday, Aug. 3
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women’s 50 Freestyle (Heats) | Men’s 100 Butterfly (Finals) |
| Men’s 1500 Freestyle (Heats) | Women’s 50 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay (Heats) | Women’s 200 Individual Medley (Finals) |
| Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay (Heats) | Women’s 800 Freestyle (Finals) |
| — | Mixed 4×100 Medley Relay (Finals) |
Sunday, Aug. 4
| Afternoon |
|---|
| Women’s 50 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men’s 1500 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay (Finals) |
| Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay (Finals) |
