At the age of just 22, Léon Marchand became the face of the Paris Olympics and an icon for the whole of France by securing four gold medals – becoming the first French Olympian to achieve the feat. In doing so, he also accomplished what neither Michael Phelps nor Mark Spitz attempted, winning two individual gold medals in a day – the 200 metres butterfly, then the 200m breaststroke, which with less than two hours between each of the finals. Following his historic Games, Marchand was awarded the prestigious honour of extinguishing the Olympic flame at the closing ceremony.
