Marchand could be first French swimmer to ever win multiple individual Olympic gold medals

In addition to his marquee 400m individual medley event, Marchand will compete in three other events at Paris 2024: the 200 IM, 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.

If Marchand does fulfil his goal of achieving gold in more than one event, it will mark the first time a French swimmer has won multiple individual Olympic golds.

Marchand comes into these Games in top form. Following Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) where Marchand finished sixth in the 400 IM, he moved stateside and began training with Phelps’ former mentor, Bob Bowman.

Marchand spoke to Olympics.com after the France swimming training camp about his readiness for Paris 2024, saying: “The event doesn’t overwhelm me; it will help me transcend. Bob [Bowman] and I have done the job for a year and a half; now is not the time to panic. We don’t overthink it.”

Marchand will have a recovery day after Sunday’s 400 IM. He’ll return to the pool for a doubleheader on Tuesday 30 July, with the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.

Marchand is up for the task. “The schedule isn’t too bad for me,” he said. “There’s an hour and a half between the two finals. It’s very tough, it’s a big challenge, but I think I can do it.”

The 200m individual relay is all that remains on Thursday 1 August.