Léon Marchand delights in IM win; Huske wins fly in U.S. 1-2 - ESPN

NANTERRE, France — Léon Marchand carried the comparisons to Michael Phelps and the hopes of a nation on his broad shoulders.

The 22-year-old Frenchman handled it all with ease, setting himself up to be one of the biggest stars of the Paris Olympics.

With a flag-waving crowd cheering his every stroke, Marchand delivered a swimming gold for France with a dominant victory in the men's 400-meter individual medley Sunday night.

Marchand was ahead as soon as his head popped from the water, and he steadily pulled away from the field in what was essentially two separate races: Marchand going against the clock, and everyone else competing for silver and bronze.

«I started very, very fast,» he said. «I didn't look at the other lanes. I was focused on myself.»

Marchand was under world-record pace on the final turn but faded a bit coming home, touching in 4 minutes, 2.95 seconds — an Olympic record, but just shy of his own world mark of 4:02.50. Marchand claimed that vaunted standard at last year's world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, erasing the record held by Phelps for 15 years.

Not surprisingly, the young Frenchman has been mentioned frequently as the next Phelps — especially since he is guided by the same coach, American Bob Bowman, who was with the most decorated athlete in Olympic history throughout his career.

Marchand lived up to those staggering expectations, for one night at least, and Phelps was in the building to witness it all as a member of NBC's broadcast team.

Marchand was a bit delayed getting to the interview area. Turns out, he had to take a phone call — from French President Emmanuel Macron.

«He said that he watched the race with all of his family and they all screamed when I won,» Marchand said through an