Leon Marchand did not disappoint.
The Frenchman was the favorite to win the 400-meter individual medley, and he showed out in his home country. He easily captured the gold medal, beating second place by 5.67 seconds.
Marchand set a new Olympic record with a time of 4:02.95 as the fans poured in their cheers before, during and after the race. Marchand couldn't quite break his world record of 4:02.50 set in 2023.
Two other finals raced on Sunday, which boded well for the United States. Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh finished first and second, respectively, in the women's 100-meter butterfly, while Nic Fink tied for second in the men's 100-meter breaststroke.
Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi won the gold in the men's 100-meter breaststroke, which turned out to be an extremely close finish. All swimmers finished between 59.03-59.98.
Swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics is just getting started with more heats, semifinals and finals to take place through Sunday, Aug. 4.
Team USA's Katie Ledecky, Canada's Summer McIntosh, Australia's Ariarne Titmus and Great Britain's Freya Colbert are some of the top female swimmers at the Olympics. Team USA's Ryan Murphy, France's Marchand, China's Pan Zhanle and Australia's Samuel Short will be competing for the men's top spots.
Day 3 begins at 5 a.m. ET with heats, while the semifinals and finals begin at 2:30 p.m. ET. Five gold medals will be handed out on Monday, July 29.
The Sporting News has you covered on swimming results, updates and highlights from Day 2 of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
MORE: Watch the 2024 Olympics live with FuboTV (Free trial)
Olympic swimming results
| Event | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| Men's 400 Individual Medley (Finals) | Leon Marchand (France) —4:02.95 | Tomoyuki Matsushita (Japan) — 4:08.62 | Carson Foster (USA) — 4:08.66 |
| Women's 100 Butterfly (Finals) | Torri Huske (USA) — 55.59 | Gretchen Walsh (USA) — 55.63 | Zhang Yufei (China) — 56.21 |
| Men's 200 Freestyle (Semifinals 1) | Luke Hobson (USA) — 1:45.19 | Lukas Maertens (Germany) — 1:45.36 | Danas Rapsys (Lithuania) —1:45.48 |
| Men's 200 Freestyle (Semifinals 2) | David Popovici (Romania) — 1:44.53 | Duncan Scott (Great Britain) — 1:44.94 | Maximillian Giuliani (Australia) —1:45.37 |
| Women's 100 Breaststroke (Semifinals 1) | Tang Qianting (China) — 1:05.83 | Alina Zmushka (AIN) —1:05.93 | Benedetta Pilato (Italy) — 1:06.39 |
| Women's 100 Breaststroke (Semifinals 2) | Tatjana Smith (South Africa) — 1:05.00 | Mona McSharry (Ireland) — 1:05.51 | Lily King (USA) — 1:05.64 |
| Men's 100 Backstroke (Semifinals 1) | Thomas Ceccon (Italy) — 52.58 | T2 - Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (France) —52.63 | T2 - Pieter Coetze (South Africa) —52.63 |
| Men's 100 Backstroke (Semifinals 2) | Xu Jiayu (China) — 52.02 | Apostolos Christou (Greece) — 52.77 | Oliver Morgan (Great Britain) — 52.85 |
| Men's 100 Breaststroke (Finals) | Nicolo Martinenghi (Italy) — 59.03 | T2 - Adam Peaty (Great Britain) — 59.05 | T2 - Nic Fink (USA) — 59.05 |
| Women's 200 Freestyle (Semifinals 1) | Claire Weinstein (USA) —1:55.24 | Barbora Seemanova (Czechia) — 1:56.06 | Mary-Sophie Harvey (Canada) — 1:56.37 |
| Women's 200 Freestyle (Semifinals 2) | Ariarne Titmus (Australia) — 1:54.64 | Mollie O'Callaghan (Australia) — 1:54.70 | Siobhan Bernadette Haughey (Hong Kong) — 1:55.51 |
MORE: Who will win Olympics swimming? Medal odds, gold favorites, expert picks
Live swimming updates, highlights from 2024 Olympics
(All times Eastern).
4:11 p.m.: That's a wrap for Day 2 of swimming at the Olympics. It will be back tomorrow with more heats, semifinals and finals.
4:06 p.m.: Ariarne Titmus wins the second semifinal for Australia. Her Australian teammate Mollie O'Callaghan takes second place.
4:02 p.m.: Claire Weinstein wins the first semifinal.
4 p.m.: Final event of the day is underway: the women's 200-meter freestyle semifinals.
3:55 p.m.: Wow, Nicolo Martinenghi wins gold in the 100-meter breaststroke final in an ultra-close race. Adam Peaty and Nic Fink tie for silver. All eight finalists finished between 59.03-59.98.
WHAT. A. FINISH.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2024
Nicolo Martinenghi narrowly beats out Nic Fink and Adam Peaty to win a thrilling 100m breaststroke final! 🇮🇹 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/zKDfOOFy7F
3:53 p.m.: It's time for the men's 100-meter breaststroke final.
3:48 p.m.: Xu Jiayu wins the second semifinal. Men's 100 backstroke final is set for tomorrow.
3:41 p.m.: Thomas Ceccon wins the first semifinals. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Pieter Coetze tied for second place.
3:27 p.m.: The men's 100-meter backstroke semifinals are up next.
3:24 p.m.: Tatjana Smith wins the second semifinal race. Finals are set for tomorrow.
3:18 p.m.: Tang Qianting wins the first semifinal race. Stay tuned for the second race to determine the finals.
3:09 p.m.: More semifinals are about to begin. First up is the women's 100-meter breaststroke.
2:59 p.m.: David Popovici wins the second semifinals race. The finals are set for tomorrow.
2:53 p.m.: Luke Hobson wins the first semifinals race. The second race will determine which eight swimmers make the finals.
2:48 p.m.: The men's 200-meter freestyle semifinals are underway.
2:46 p.m.: Torri Huske wins gold for Team USA! She beats out teammate Gretchen Walsh, who owns the world and Olympic records. Team USA takes first and second place in the 100-meter butterfly.
After missing the podium in Tokyo, Torri Huske takes GOLD in the women's 100m butterfly at the #ParisOlympics! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/bTVBwsMhKm
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2024
2:45 p.m.: The women's 100-meter butterfly final is now underway.
2:38 p.m.: Marchand wins the gold for the 400-meter IM! France's own takes home the gold in his home country. Crowd is loving it. He just missed out on setting a new world record.
If I had watched that 400 IM with my eyes closed this crowd would have had me convinced Leon Marchand had just gone 3:55.96.
— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) July 28, 2024
What an incredible moment for the hometown kid in front of a hometown crowd. pic.twitter.com/CNO912wI8v
Leon Marchand wins 400m IM by 5.67 seconds, shattering Ryan Lochte’s record margin of victory from 2012 (3.68). Marchand's time (4:02.95) breaks longest-standing Olympic swimming record time (Michael Phelps' 4:03.84 from 2008).
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) July 28, 2024
2:37 p.m.: Marchand is chasing the world record. He's on pace entering the final 50 meters.
2:36 p.m.: Marchand is way ahead of the pack, just adding to his lead with each lap. He's ahead of second place by 6.46 seconds after 300 meters.
2:35 p.m.: Leon Marchand is the favorite to win the men's 400-meter IM. He's the leader after 200 meters.
2:31 p.m.: It's time for some swimming in Paris. The men's 400-meter IM final will begin shortly.
2:13 p.m.: The afternoon slate of semifinals and finals are almost underway. The races will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.
10:59 a.m.: Other finals today include the women's 100 butterfly and the men's 100 breaststroke.
10:53 a.m.: All five events from the early portion of Day 2 move onto the semifinals or finals later this afternoon. The men's 200 freestyle, women's 100 breaststroke, men's 100 backstroke and women's 200 freestyle have their semifinals later today. The men's 400 individual medley has its finals today.
10:47 a.m.: The Sunday heats have concluded in Paris as the semifinals and finals are set. The top 16 for each heat move on to the next round.
10:12 a.m.: "Bob the Cap Catcher" stole the show during the early heats on Day 2 of the 2024 Olympics. A man wearing a speedo dove into the pool to retrieve a lost swimming cap on Sunday.
Who do you call when a swim cap falls in the pool?
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2024
"BOB THE CAP CATCHER." 😂#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/eN5ycGkKjw
How to watch Olympic swimming
- Dates: July 27-Aug. 4
- Time: 5 a.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBC, USA Network
- Live stream: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, Fubo
Olympic swimming begins at 5 a.m. ET each day from July 27-Aug. 3. There will only be heats in the morning session. Every day will have an afternoon session that begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Aug. 4 is the final day of competition and will only feature an afternoon session with four final races.
Fans can tune into the swimming competitions on NBC and USA Network. Those streaming can watch via Peacock, NBCOlympics.com or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Olympic swimming schedule 2024
Olympic swimming begins on Saturday, July 27, and goes until Sunday, Aug. 4.
Swimmers begin at 5 a.m. ET each morning with heats that run until 2:30 p.m. ET when the afternoon session begins. The afternoon features semifinal and final races.
Aug. 4 will not have any morning races and will feature four finals in the afternoon.
Saturday, July 27
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women's 100 Butterfly (Heats) | Women's 100 Butterfly (Semifinals) |
| Women's 400 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 400 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men's 100 Breaststroke (Heats) | Women's 400 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men's 400 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 100 Breaststroke (Semifinals) |
| Women's 4x100 Freestyle Relay (Heats) | Women's 4x100 Freestyle Relay (Finals) |
| Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay (Heats) | Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay (Finals) |
Sunday, July 28
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Men's 200 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 400 Individual Medley (Finals) |
| Men's 400 Individual Medley (Heats) | Women's 100 Butterfly (Finals) |
| Women's 100 Breaststroke (Heats) | Men's 200 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Men's 100 Backstroke (Heats) | Women's 100 Breaststroke (Semifinals) |
| Women's 200 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 100 Backstroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men's 100 Breaststroke (Finals) |
| — | Women's 200 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
Monday, July 29
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women's 400 Individual Medley (Heats) | Women's 400 Individual Medley (Finals) |
| Women's 100 Backstroke (Heats) | Men's 200 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men's 800 Freestyle (Heats) | Women's 100 Backstroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men's 100 Backstroke (Finals) |
| — | Women's 100 Breaststroke (Finals) |
| — | Women's 200 Freestyle (Finals) |
Tuesday, July 30
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Men's 200 Butterfly (Heats) | Men's 100 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Men's 100 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 200 Butterfly (Semifinals) |
| Women's 1500 Freestyle (Heats) | Women's 100 Backstroke (Finals) |
| Women's 100 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 800 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men's 200 Breaststroke (Heats) | Men's 200 Breaststroke (Semifinals) |
| Men's 4x200 Freestyle Relay (Heats) | Men's 4x200 Freestyle Relay (Finals) |
Wednesday, July 31
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women's 200 Breaststroke (Heats) | Women's 100 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men's 200 Backstroke (Heats) | Men's 200 Butterfly (Finals) |
| Women's 200 Butterfly (Heats) | Women's 200 Butterfly (Semifinals) |
| — | Women's 1500 Freestyle (Finals) |
| — | Men's 200 Backstroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Women's 200 Breaststroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men's 200 Breaststroke (Finals) |
| — | Men's 800 Freestyle (Finals) |
Thursday, Aug. 1
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women's 200 Backstroke (Heats) | Women's 200 Butterfly (Finals) |
| Men's 50 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 200 Backstroke (Finals) |
| Men's 200 Individual Medley (Heats) | Men's 50 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Women's 4x200 Freestyle Relay (Heats) | Women's 200 Breaststroke (Finals) |
| — | Women's 200 Backstroke (Semifinals) |
| — | Men's 200 Individual Medley (Semifinals) |
| — | Women's 4x200 Freestyle Relay (Finals) |
Friday, Aug. 2
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Men's 100 Butterfly (Heats) | Men's 50 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Women's 200 Individual Medley (Heats) | Women's 200 Backstroke (Finals) |
| Women's 800 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 200 Individual Medley (Finals) |
| Mixed 4x100 Medley Relay (Heats) | Men's 50 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| — | Men's 100 Butterfly (Semifinals) |
| — | Women's 200 Individual Medley (Semifinals) |
Saturday, Aug. 3
| Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|
| Women's 50 Freestyle (Heats) | Men's 100 Butterfly (Finals) |
| Men's 1500 Freestyle (Heats) | Women's 50 Freestyle (Semifinals) |
| Men's 4x100 Medley Relay (Heats) | Women's 200 Individual Medley (Finals) |
| Women's 4x100 Medley Relay (Heats) | Women's 800 Freestyle (Finals) |
| — | Mixed 4x100 Medley Relay (Finals) |
Sunday, Aug. 4
| Afternoon |
|---|
| Women's 50 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men's 1500 Freestyle (Finals) |
| Men's 4x100 Medley Relay (Finals) |
| Women's 4x100 Medley Relay (Finals) |
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