Léon Marchand captures 4th Olympic swimming gold, setting off a party across Paris

NANTERRE, France (AP) — The party for Léon Marchand spread beyond the pool, quickly sweeping all across Paris.

At Stade de France, hosting the first night of track and field, an enormous ovation broke out when Marchand won his fourth gold medal of the Olympics. The roar was so loud that the first heat of the 400-meter run in the decathlon was delayed.

At the French Olympic house, nearly 20,000 gathered outside to watch Marchand cap his dominating run at the pool, including 19-year-old Arthur Oursel.

“He’s a hero,” Oursel said. “He’s our hero.”

With French President Emmanuel Macron among the more than 15,000 fans cheering him on in a rugby stadium-turned-natatorium, Marchand soared to another runaway victory in the 200-meter individual medley Friday night.

“I don't think anything went wrong this week,” Marchand said. “It was just perfect.”

The 22-year-old French phenomenon left no doubt he'll be remembered as one of the biggest stars of the Summer Games in his home country. He finished in an Olympic record of 1 minute, 54.06 seconds, just missing Ryan Lochte's 13-year-old world mark.

That was about the only thing he didn't accomplish in six magical days at La Defense Arena, previously winning the 400 IM, 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke — the latter two about two hours apart in the same session.

Marchand became only the fourth swimmer in Olympic history to win four individual golds at a single games.

The others? Michael Phelps, who did it in both 2004 and 2008; Mark Spitz in 1972; and East German Kristin Otto in 1988.

Heady company, indeed.

“That's crazy. Those guys are legends,” Marchand said. “I don’t think I have realized it yet. Maybe I will in a few days."

The silver went to Britain’s Duncan Scott, a body length behind at 1:55.31. China’s Wang Shun grabbed the bronze in 1:56.00, edging out American Carson Foster for a spot on the podium.

A packed house at La Defense Arena came to cheer on their favorite son one more time. They chanted, sang “Sweet Caroline,” waved the French tricolore flag and unveiled a huge tifo in the upper deck.

After Marchand touched the wall, he held up four fingers — one for every gold. He climbed from the pool, pumped his fists, then held out his arms as if to say, “What more could you want?”

Not a thing.

He had done it all, more than fulfilling the expectations of his nation and the comparisons to Phelps, who was here to cheer Marchand on. What might have been a burden to some athletes only seemed to push Marchand to even greater heights.

Macron shook Marchand's hand during Friday's celebration and sent his congratulations via social media.

“The impossible isn’t French!” Macron wrote in French. “Four home gold medals and a new Olympic record — it’s historic. It’s Leon Marchand.”

Marchand certainly enjoyed his moment, which his American coach Bob Bowman — Phelps' coach, in an appropriate touch — had encouraged him to do.

He led the fans behind the podium in a cheer before climbing to the top step one more time. The crowd erupted in its most rousing rendition yet of “La Marseillaise" — though, of course, they've had plenty of chances to work on the French national anthem this week.

Chants of "Léon! Léon! Léon!" filled the arena as soon as the anthem was done. Someone held up a sign that simply “Merci Léon.”

“I'm extremely proud," Marchand said, “to be French.”

Before Marchand’s triumph, Cameron McEvoy and Kaylee McKeown won more gold for Australia.

McEvoy touched first in the 50 freestyle, denying Caeleb Dressel a repeat in swimming’s most frantic event. McKeown followed with a victory in the 200 backstroke to become the first female swimmer to sweep the back at two straight Summer Games.

Asked if she could've envisioned such an accomplishment, McKeown said, “Not in a million years.”

McEvoy became the first Australian man to win gold at these games, and McKeown quickly boosted her country’s total to an Olympics-leading seven golds overall — three more than both the U.S. and Marchand, who is essentially a country unto himself.

McKeown noted what an amazing time this is for women’s sports, following in the footsteps of athletes such as Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark in raising the profile of female athletes.

“Not just the Aussie girls, but the whole world and female sports has been unreal this year,” McKeown said. “It’s great to be a part of that.”

McEvoy made it from one end of the pool to the other in 21.25, edging Benjamin Proud of Britain by five-hundredths of a second. Florent Manaudou of France gave the home crowd another thrill by taking the bronze in 21.56.

Dressel, who won five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, finished sixth in 21.61.

McKeown rallied again, just as she did in the 100 backstroke, to chase down perennial American runner-up Regan Smith. The winning time was an Olympic record of 2:03.73, breaking the mark that Missy Franklin set at the 2012 London Games.

Smith touched in 2:04.26 for the fifth silver medal of her career, to go along with a single bronze. She has yet to win gold.

The bronze went to Canada's Kylie Masse in 2:05.57.

Smith insisted that she was satisfied with the result, even though a gold medal remained just out of reach.

“If I had gotten a silver medal and I had been a second slower, I think I would have been really disappointed in myself because that wasn’t putting my best foot forward. That wasn’t what I was capable of doing,” Smith said. “That’s one of my fastest times ever. I think I really gave Kaylee a run for it and I made things really close and exciting. So I’m thrilled with it.”

The American star qualified in two individual events, and he won't be winning a medal in either of them.

Shortly after his sixth-place showing in the 50 freestyle, he returned to the pool for the semifinals of the 100 butterfly — another of the events he won in Tokyo.

Dressel couldn't pull off the grueling double, managing only the 13th-fastest time to miss out on the final Saturday night.

He did anchor the U.S. to gold in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay for the eighth gold medal of his career.

It was a disappointing showing for one of the biggest stars of the Tokyo Games, but not all that unexpected given what he's been through.

A year after the pandemic-delayed 2021 Olympics, Dressel walked away from swimming in the middle of the world championships.

He desperately needed a break to recapture his love of swimming, which is still a bit of a work in progress. Dressel seems much happier now, welcoming his first child about five months ago, but he couldn't recapture that blazing speed from three years ago.

“Obviously not my best work,” Dressel said. “I’ve had a lot of fun but this hasn’t been my best week. I don’t think I need to shy away from that.”

He has one more relay to go in Paris, giving him another shot at his ninth career gold.

Dressel would like to go out on a high note, because these Games have been “a little heartbreaking, a little heartbreaking for sure.”

After leaving the pool deck, he broke down in tears.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Spectators celebrate as they watch from a fan zone set up at the Club France, as Leon Marchand, of France, participates in men's 200-meter individual medley final, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Spectators celebrate as they watch from a fan zone set up at the Club France, as Leon Marchand, of France, wins the gold medal in men's 200-meter individual medley final, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Gold medalist Leon Marchand, centre, of France, stands with silver medalist Duncan Scott, left, of Great Britain, and bronze medalist Shun Wang of China, following the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Cameron McEvoy, left, of Australia, and Benjamin Proud, of Great Britain, react following their men's 50-meter freestyle semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Cameron McEvoy, of Australia, competes in a men's 50-meter freestyle semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Leon Marchand, of France, competes in a men's 200-meter individual medley semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Leon Marchand, of France, competes in a men's 200-meter individual medley semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Daiya Seto, right, of Japan, and Leon Marchand, of France, clap their hands together following the men's 200-meter individual medley semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Leon Marchand, of France, reacts following his men's 200-meter individual medley semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Leon Marchand of France, gestures to fans after winning the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Leon Marchand of France, celebrates after winning the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

Leon Marchand of France, reacts as he stands on the podium to look at his supporters after receiving his gold medal for the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Leon Marchand of France, poses with his gold medal for the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Leon Marchand of France, celebrates after winning the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Germans began Saturday mourning another violent attack and their shaken sense of security after a Saudi doctor drove a black BMW into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers on Friday evening, killing at least two people, including a small child, and injuring at least 60 others in what authorities called a deliberate attack.

Authorities identified the suspect as a 50-year-old who has been living in Germany for nearly two decades and practicing medicine there. He was arrested Friday evening at the site of the attack as medical officials tended to the injured, and was taken into custody for questioning.

But on Saturday there were still no answers as to what caused the man to drive into a crowd in the eastern Germany city of Magdeburg.

The violence shocked the country and the city, bringing its mayor to the verge of tears and marring a festive event that’s part of a centuries-old German tradition. It prompted several other German towns to cancel their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and out of solidarity with Magdeburg’s loss.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser were due to travel to Magdeburg on Saturday, and a memorial service is to take place in the city cathedral in the evening.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives," Scholz wrote on X. "We stand beside them and beside the people of Magdeburg.”

Magdeburg is a city of about 240,000 people, west of Berlin, that serves as Saxony-Anhalt’s capital. Friday’s attack came eight years after an Islamic extremist drove a truck into crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring many others. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

Verified bystander footage distributed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspect’s arrest at a tram stop in the middle of the road. A nearby police officer pointing a handgun at the man shouted at him as he lay prone, his head arched up slightly. Other officers soon arrived and took the man into custody.

The two people confirmed dead were an adult and a toddler, but officials said additional deaths couldn't be ruled out because 15 people had been seriously injured.

“As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city," Saxony-Anhalt's governor, Reiner Haseloff, told reporters. “Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many.”

Authorities identified the suspect as a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who moved to Germany in 2006 and who had been practicing medicine in Bernburg, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Magdeburg.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry condemned the attack on X but did not mention the suspect’s connection to the kingdom.

Christmas markets are a German holiday tradition cherished since the Middle Ages, now successfully exported to much of the Western world.

Hours after Friday's tragedy, the wail of sirens clashed with the market’s festive ornaments, stars and leafy garlands.

Magdeburg resident Dorin Steffen told dpa that she was at a concert in a nearby church when she heard the sirens. The cacophony was so loud “you had to assume that something terrible had happened.”

She called the attack “a dark day” for the city.

“We are shaking,” Steffen said. “Full of sympathy for the relatives, also in the hope that nothing has happened to our relatives, friends and acquaintances.”

The attack reverberated far beyond Magdeburg, with Haseloff calling it a catastrophe for the city, state and country. He said flags would be lowered to half-staff in Saxony-Anhalt and that the federal government planned to do the same.

“It is really one of the worst things one can imagine, particularly in connection with what a Christmas market should bring," the governor said.

Moulson reported from Berlin.

Security guards stand in front of a cordoned-off Christmas Market after a car crashed into a crowd of people, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Emergency services work in a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market, after a car drove into a crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Emergency services work in a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market, after a car drove into a crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Emergency services work in a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market, after a car drove into a crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Reiner Haseloff, Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt, center, is flanked by Tamara Zieschang, Minister of the Interior and Sport of Saxony-Anhalt, left, and Simone Borris, Mayor of the City of Magdeburg, at a press conference after a car plowed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP)

Emergency services work in a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market, after a car drove into a crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Emergency services work in a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market, after a car drove into a crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Emergency services work in a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market, after a car drove into a crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A police officer guards at a blocked road near a Christmas Market, after an incident in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Dörthe Hein/dpa via AP)

Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)

Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)

A police officer guards at a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market after an incident in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

In this screen grab image from video, special police forces attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Thomas Schulz/dpa via AP)

Reiner Haseloff (M, CDU), Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt, makes a statement after an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)

A police officer speaks with a man at a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market after an incident in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A policeman is seen at the Christmas market where an incident happened in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)

A firefighter walks through a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market, after a car drove into a crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Emergency services work in a cordoned-off area near a Christmas Market, after an incident in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A view of the cordoned-off Christmas market after an incident in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)

A police officer guards at a blocked road near a Christmas market after an incident in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The car that was crashed into a crowd of people at the Magdeburg Christmas market is seen following the attack in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday early morning, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Security guards stand in front of a cordoned-off Christmas Market after a car crashed into a crowd of people, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday early morning, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Security guards stand in front of a cordoned-off Christmas Market after a car crashed into a crowd of people, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday early morning, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The car that was crashed into a crowd of people at the Magdeburg Christmas market is seen following the attack in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday early morning, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Forensics work on a damaged car sitting with its doors open after a driver plowed into a busy Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, early Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP)