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

Leon Marchand captures 4th Olympic swimming gold, setting off a party across Paris
Leon Marchand of France on his way to winning the men’s 200m individual medley gold and setting an Olympic record at the Paris 2024 Olympics Friday. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 03 August 2024
Follow

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

Leon Marchand captures 4th Olympic swimming gold, setting off a party across Paris
  • 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
  • Macron shook Marchand’s hand during Friday’s celebration and sent his congratulations via social media

NANTERRE, France: The party for Leon 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.

What a night for France

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 tricolor 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 “Leon! Leon! Leon!” filled the arena as soon as the anthem was done. Someone held up a sign that simply “Merci Leon.”

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

Australian gold for McEvoy, McKeown

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 US 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.

Another silver for Regan Smith

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.”

Dressel comes up short

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 US 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.


Herve Renard approached for Saudi return, report suggests

Herve Renard approached for Saudi return, report suggests
Updated 15 sec ago
Follow

Herve Renard approached for Saudi return, report suggests

Herve Renard approached for Saudi return, report suggests
  • Al-Arabiya post on X claims the Frenchman, who delivered a 2-1 win over Argentina at Qatar 2022, could be in line to replace Roberto Mancini if the Italian coach leaves

RIYADH: A post by Al-Arabiya on X, formerly Twitter, is suggesting that the former Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard could be lined up for a sensational return to the role that saw him lead the Green Falcons to a shock 2-1 win over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The post, on the broadcaster’s Arabic account of the program “FilMarma,” follows Saudi’s first two Third Round Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which saw a return of four points from a 1-1 draw with Indonesia at home and a late 2-1 win in China.

An approach for Renard would indicate that the Saudi team’s form under current coach Roberto Mancini remains unconvincing, particularly after a disappointing AFC Asian Cup campaign earlier this year in Qatar.

Renard managed the Saudi national team from 2019 to 2023, with the Frenchman comfortably securing qualification to Qatar 2022 before delivering the famous win at Lusail Stadium against eventual champions Argentina, for whom Lionel Messi had given a 1-0 half-time lead. Two early second-half goals by Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari completed the turnaround for Saudi Arabia.

Renard left his post in 2023 to become coach of the France women’s national team ahead of the FIFA women’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.

Mancini took over as manager of Saudi Arabia in August 2023.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has not commented on the report. 


Testing time for Pakistan cricket on and off the pitch

Testing time for Pakistan cricket on and off the pitch
Updated 12 September 2024
Follow

Testing time for Pakistan cricket on and off the pitch

Testing time for Pakistan cricket on and off the pitch
  • In the last 2 years, Pakistan cricket has experienced 4 coaches, 3 PCB heads, 3 captains and changes to domestic cricket formats

From the outside, Pakistan’s cricket appears to be a mess. What it must be like inside, one can only guess. The latest downturn was a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which secured its first-ever victory over Pakistan in that format on Pakistani soil.

In both matches the home team worked its way into superior positions, only to lose grip. Pakistan has failed to win any of its last 10 home Tests, drawing four and losing six. The next visitors are England in October. Uncertainty has surrounded the venues for the three Tests.

This is because much-needed renovation work is taking place at international venues in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Multan in preparation for the International Cricket Council’s Champions Trophy which Pakistan is due to host in March 2025. It will be the first time the country has hosted an ICC event since 1996, when it co-hosted the ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. Since then, international cricket in Pakistan has been sparse, especially after the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009. The Trophy is a mini-ODI World Cup, consisting of the eight top-ranked teams in the 2023 ODI World Cup. These will be Pakistan, India, Australia, England, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, New Zealand and South Africa. Pakistan is the holder of the Trophy, having defeated India at the last time of asking in 2017.

It was always going to be a bone of contention over whether India’s team would be allowed to travel to play in Pakistan. It has not done so for 16 years, since the Asia Cup in 2008, when an MS Dhoni-led side lost to Sri Lanka in the final played in Karachi. It remains India’s last fixture in Pakistan, whilst India’s last bilateral series in the country was in 2006. The decision-making process for future visits to Pakistan has just become more complex.

Jay Shah, serving as secretary of the BCCI and president of the Asia Cricket Council, will take over as chair of the ICC in December. As is well known, he is the son of the minister of interior in India. Constitutionally, the ICC chair’s role is independent. It will be a big test for Shah if he can fulfill this obligation. The geopolitics of cricket and Asian cricket, in particular, is now subject to a new dynamic. Shah’s replacement as president of the ACC is unknown as yet. There are strong rumours that it could be the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister.

The potentially strong involvement of the interior ministers of both countries in the decision-making process is an intriguing one. Pakistan will not want to forego its hosting opportunity, especially as it is spending more than $45 million on stadium upgrades, as well as additional funding for the women’s game. How cruel it would be if that opportunity was to be pulled away at short notice.

Furthermore, in an attempt to enhance the standard of domestic cricket, the PCB has introduced a champions one-day cup for the 2024 season. It aims to provide a competitive platform for emerging talent and a bridge between domestic and international cricket. Five regional teams will compete between Sept. 12-29 in Faisalabad in a single league format, with top teams advancing to knockout stages. Neither of the current national captains have been made captains of a regional team. However, previous captains and a current vice-captain have been. The motives for this have not been explained, but stability does not appear a consideration.

Rumours abound that the current test captain, Shan Masood, may be replaced. He provided one explanation for Pakistan’s defeat by Bangladesh: “Whatever format you play is the format for which you will produce players. You cannot play more T20 cricket and get Test players.” This deserves to be unpacked.

At first sight, he seems to be suggesting that players should be developed according to the format to which they are most suited. Alternatively, he could be suggesting that if the focus is fixated on playing T20 cricket, particularly by those younger players coming into the game, then the future development of a sufficient number of those able to succeed at Test cricket will be diminished. He went on to say: “You cannot prepare for science and then sit for a maths exam. If you are being tested for maths, you study maths. To play red-ball cricket, you must play red-ball cricket.”

There is logic in this, but there will be those who disagree. They will point to examples of players who have succeeded across all formats. They will point to the transfer of attacking skills and mindsets from T20 to Test cricket. An example has been England’s approach to Test cricket since 2022, the so-called “Bazball.” Entertaining, bordering on recklessness and met with ridicule in some quarters, it has produced mixed results.

These were on show this week in England’s final Test of a three-match series against Sri Lanka. The team’s approach has been widely condemned as complacent, sloppy and disrespectful to both the opposition and to the format of Test cricket. It led to defeat but, seemingly, not much contrition. England will head to Pakistan under a slight cloud to face an opponent in disarray, both on and off the pitch.

There is still time for Pakistan to regroup its playing composure through the new tournament and a “connection camp” meeting on Sept. 23. This is designed to initiate a comprehensive evaluation of every facet of domestic and international cricket. Skeptics abound, pointing to chronic issues of instability that ride on the whims of politicians and affect the PCB’s management. In turn, these are reflected on the field.

In the last two years, Pakistan cricket has experienced four coaches, three PCB heads, three captains and changes to domestic cricket formats. It will be fascinating to witness how the frenzy of England’s approach to Test cricket matches up against the febrile and chaotic nature of Pakistan’s political-cricketing environment.


Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos

Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos
Updated 12 September 2024
Follow

Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos

Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos
  • Kuwait Football Association expressed ‘deep regret’ for ticketing and other logistical problems that marred the game on Tuesday
  • The federation said it had suspended its secretary-general, Salah Al-Qanai, and public relations boss Mohamed Bou Abbas

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s football federation has suspended one of its top bosses and its PR chief over failings that left fans in sweltering temperatures for hours during a World Cup qualifier against Iraq.
In a statement late Wednesday, the Kuwait Football Association expressed its “deep regret” for ticketing and other logistical problems that marred the game at the 60,000-capacity Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Tuesday.
It also said it would launch a probe into the shortcomings, which resulted in fans fainting in temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) as they pleaded with staff for water, with videos of the incidents shared on social media.
Ticketing problems also meant some fans without tickets were allowed in, while others who had purchased tickets were refused entry.
The federation said it had suspended its secretary-general, Salah Al-Qanai, and public relations boss Mohamed Bou Abbas over the “unacceptable events.”


China’s Football Association bans 43 people for life after corruption investigation

China’s Football Association bans 43 people for life after corruption investigation
Updated 12 September 2024
Follow

China’s Football Association bans 43 people for life after corruption investigation

China’s Football Association bans 43 people for life after corruption investigation
  • The official Xinhua News Agency said a two-year investigation uncovered a series of online gambling, match-fixing and bribery

DALIAN: China’s Football Association has banned 43 people for life over allegations of match-fixing and other forms of corruption in the latest effort to weed out graft in the country’s notoriously underperforming team sport.
The official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday reported that Zhang Xiaopeng, a top police official, attended a news conference at Dalian to release details of a “two-year investigation that uncovered a series of online gambling, match-fixing and bribery cases.”
Xinhua said 120 matches in domestic leagues, 128 criminal suspects, and 41 clubs were implicated in the investigation. Of those banned, 38 were players and five were officials working for various clubs.
Former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, and Gu Chao were among those to receive life bans from the sport.
Other players and officials were given shortened bans, including foreign players lured to China by the promise of high salaries.
South Korean Son Jun-ho, who played for China’s Shandong Taishan FC, and Ewolo Donovan of Cameroon, who formerly played for Heilongjiang Ice City, were given five-year bans.
Son’s activities “seriously violated sports ethics and sportsmanship, causing a significant negative impact on society,” according to the federation’s statement.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to make China a football superpower, but the men’s teams haven’t found much traction. Pledges to build new pitches and hire staff have fallen short as the economy struggles to regain its feet following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan trounced China 7-0 last week to open the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. It was China’s most lopsided loss against Japan, a geopolitcal rival in Asia.
The Chinese men’s team was playing Saudi Arabia at Dalian later Tuesday in its second World Cup qualifier in five days.
China still has a shot at reaching the expanded, 48-team World Cup in 2026, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. But even with the larger field, China still might not make it past the continental qualifying stage.
China has qualified only once for the World Cup. losing all three group games in 2002.
China is currently No. 87 in the FIFA world rankings for men’s teams, just below Curaçao (population 150,000), and just above of Equatorial Guinea (1.7 million).


Tottenham midfielder Bentancur charged by FA after offensive comment about South Koreans

Tottenham midfielder Bentancur charged by FA after offensive comment about South Koreans
Updated 12 September 2024
Follow

Tottenham midfielder Bentancur charged by FA after offensive comment about South Koreans

Tottenham midfielder Bentancur charged by FA after offensive comment about South Koreans
  • The FA says it is alleged Bentancur has “acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words

LONDON: Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was charged with misconduct by the English Football Association on Thursday, three months after making an offensive comment about South Koreans in relation to a remark about Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min.
Appearing on a Uruguayan television show in June, Bentancur was asked for a Tottenham player’s jersey and replied, “Sonny’s?” He added it could be Son’s cousin, too, because “more or less they are all the same.”
Bentancur apologized to Son on Instagram, saying it was a “very bad joke” and he would “never disrespect you or hurt you.”
The FA said it is alleged Bentancur has “acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.” The FA said it constituted an aggravated breach because it included “reference to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.”
Bentancur has until Sept. 19 to respond, but remains available to play.