Léon Marchand, European champion in the 200m butterfly: King Léon roars again in Paris

Léon Marchand has done it again. The Frenchman became European champion in the 200m butterfly this Saturday in Saint-Denis, winning the final of the European Swimming Championships with authority. The four-time Olympic champion triumphed in 1:51.72 , thus securing the first European title of his career. At 24, the Toulouse native adds another gold medal to an already considerable list of achievements. Olympic champion in this event in Paris in 2024, Marchand returned two years later to the French public and to this event, on which he had built one of the most remarkable feats of his Games.

Marchand blows the race apart after the 100 meters

The final, however, didn't immediately turn into a dominant performance. Hungary's Hubert Kos took the lead in the first half of the race and still held an 18-hundredths of a second advantage over Marchand at the 100-meter mark . But the Frenchman made the difference in the second half of the 200 meters. Coming out of the bend, Marchand accelerated, took the lead, and gradually pulled away from all his rivals. Unlike the 2024 Olympic final, where he waited until the final meters to overtake Kristóf Milák, this time he left no suspense in the final stretch. He finally touched the wall in 1:51.72 , more than two seconds ahead of his main pursuers. Hungary's Richard Márton took silver, while Greece's Apostolos Siskos completed the podium. Kos, who started very fast, ultimately finished sixth.

No world record, but total domination

Marchand did not break Kristóf Milák 's world record of 1:50.34 , nor his own French record set at the Paris Olympics. On July 31, 2024, the Frenchman won the Olympic title in 1:51.21 , after a spectacular comeback against Milák in the final 50 meters. His time of 1:51.72 this Saturday was therefore 51 hundredths of a second off his personal best. But the main objective lay elsewhere: Marchand wanted to finally win European gold , one of the few titles still missing from his impressive collection.

The first European title of his career

Four-time Olympic champion and now seven-time world champion, Léon Marchand had never before won an individual title at the European Senior Championships. This anomaly has now been rectified. The Frenchman had already won a silver medal with the 4x200m freestyle relay at the start of these 2026 European Championships. He led off the French relay in 1:43.76 , significantly improving his personal best in the 200m freestyle. This time, he has his first continental gold.

A victory after several weeks disrupted by an injury

The title also takes on a special significance due to Marchand's complicated preparation. Having injured his right adductor at the French Championships at the end of June, the Frenchman had to significantly reduce his program in Paris. He notably withdrew from the 200m breaststroke , as well as the 200m and 400m individual medley, two events in which he is usually among the favorites. His individual program was ultimately limited to the 200m butterfly and the 400m freestyle. Marchand reassured everyone from the heats and then the semifinals of the butterfly. On Friday evening, he won his semifinal in 1:53.95 , the fastest time among the qualifiers, without experiencing any further pain. Twenty-four hours later, he accelerated by more than two seconds to claim the gold.

King Leon has not finished yet

These European Championships aren't over yet for Marchand. The Frenchman must now tackle the 400m freestyle on Sunday , a distance he has been exploring for several months and in which he holds a personal best of 3:44.70 . He will face particularly stiff competition, notably from the German world record holder, Lukas Märtens . But before this final challenge, Léon Marchand can already savor the moment. Two years after his Olympic triumph in Paris, the Frenchman has once again brought the Parisian crowd to its feet. King Léon is now also a European champion.