French swimming star Leon Marchand delivered a standout performance in Paris on Saturday. The four-time Olympic gold medallist won the 200m butterfly at the European Championships.
Marchand clocked 1 minute 51.72 seconds, setting the fastest time in the world this year. He also secured his first individual European title.
The victory marked a strong return to form for the 24-year-old. It also came two years after his memorable performances at the Paris Olympics.
Marchand Leaves Rivals Behind
Marchand dominated the final and finished 2.34 seconds ahead of Hungary’s Richard Marton.
Marton claimed silver, while Greece’s Apostolos Siskos secured bronze. Siskos finished only 0.04 seconds behind the Hungarian swimmer.
Reflecting on his victory, Marchand said, “It was a brilliant moment.”
“There was an absolutely mad atmosphere in the pool, I’ll remember it for a long time.”
Marchand was particularly pleased with his finish.
“The last 50 metres were really good. I think it’s the best 50 metres I’ve swum in a long time, but that also means I might have been able to get off to a faster start.”
His victory also gave France its first individual title at the championships.
Injury Had Limited Marchand’s Programme
Marchand entered the European Championships after dealing with a thigh injury.
He suffered the injury during the French nationals in June. As a result, he has followed a reduced programme in Paris.
Earlier this week, Marchand helped France win silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
However, he will have another opportunity to claim gold on Sunday. The Toulouse-born swimmer is scheduled to compete in the 400m freestyle.
Wasick Wins 50m Freestyle
Poland’s Kasia Wasick produced another major result by winning the women’s 50m freestyle.
She finished in 23.84 seconds, edging Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom by 0.02 seconds.
The silver medal marked the 30th European medal of Sjostrom’s career.
Italy’s 19-year-old Sara Curtis completed the podium. She added another medal after an impressive championship campaign.
Curtis had already broken the 50m backstroke world record twice. Her bronze medal increased her Paris tally to five medals.
Walshe Claims Second Major Gold
Ireland’s Ellen Walshe also continued her strong championships with victory in the 200m medley.
She finished in 2 minutes 09.81 seconds to secure another major long-course title.
Walshe had already won the 400m medley on Friday. Therefore, Saturday’s victory became her second major long-course triumph at the championships.
Italy’s Anita Gastaldi took silver in 2 minutes 10.07 seconds. Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk finished third, 0.29 seconds behind Gastaldi.
Martinenghi Adds Another European Gold
Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi also claimed his second gold medal of the championships.
He won the 50m breaststroke after touching the wall in 26.57 seconds.
His time was 0.05 seconds faster than Dutch swimmer Koen de Groot and fellow Italian Simone Cerasuolo.
The victory also lifted Martinenghi’s career European tally to four individual gold medals.
With Marchand, Wasick, Walshe and Martinenghi all claiming titles, Saturday produced several notable performances in Paris.
