Watch: Two Arizona State national champion swimmers make podium in Paris
Arizona State fans already knew they would have some alums to cheer for in the Pairs Olympic swimming competition.
On Wednesday, two of those Sun Devils won medals in the same event.
France’s Leon Marchand and Canada’s Ilya Kharun, both NCAA champions under legendary coach Bob Bowman at ASU, won gold and bronze, respectively, in the men’s 200 butterfly final. Marchand, in particular, made an epic comeback on the final lap to pass Hungary’s Kristof Milak and set the Olympic record with a time of 1:51.21.
UNREAL. LEON MARCHAND WITH AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK TO IGNITE THE CROWD IN PARIS. #ParisOlympics | NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/oErY1zMUvu
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2024
Kharun, ironically, is the reigning NCAA champion in the same event but was bested by his college teammate on the Olympic stage.
Marchand had earlier won his first Olympic gold on Sunday in the men’s 400 individual medley and now looks to become the first athlete since East Germany’s Kornelia Ender to win two individual events in the same day.
Other Sun Devil swimmers in Paris are seeing success for Team USA as well. Simone Manuel won bronze in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay on Saturday and Regan Smith won silver in the women’s 100 backstroke. She will also look to win her second medal of the Games in the 200 butterfly final on Thursday.
