Marchand madness sweeps France as swimmer makes gold rush

PARIS : At the Paris pool, rapturous crowds go mad each he swims, chanting his name at every stroke. He is on the front pages of French newspapers. And across France, people stop in the streets to watch his races on their phone. Welcome to Marchand madness.

Leon Marchand, who has won three gold medals at the Games and is vying for two more, has become the French face of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the home crowd cannot get enough of him.

Across France, stadiums are packed and crowds are going wild, chanting, applauding, supporting the home team, whatever the sport. Support for the 22-year-old Marchand, however, is on another level.

French fans chant his name and roar his every stroke at the La Defense Arena pool, "LE-ON, LE-ON" echoing throughout his races as the spectators wave French flags.

Both Wednesday's victories were in Olympic record times as Marchand secured an unprecedented 200 meters butterfly and breaststroke double.

"So Leon Marchand was really great. The two races, the two finals, we were thrilled. It was magical," said Marjorie Bertrand, a teacher who was at the La Defense Arena on Wednesday evening.

"Especially, the comeback in the first final, it was really magical. We screamed, we were with family, it was great."

And it's not just at the pool.

The crowd watching the table tennis events broke into a spontaneous rendition of France's La Marseillaise national anthem when Marchand won his first gold on Wednesday.

"We were at the ping pong (event) and, in the ping pong arena, everyone was shouting 'Leon, Leon'. There was a huge fervor. It was a huge moment of pleasure," said Nicolas Durancon, a human resources worker from Lyon.

"He's a rocket. It's surely a lot of work, it's a lot of talent. It's great and I think