PICS: Magical Marchand takes fourth swimming gold

Images from the Olympics swimming action at the La Defense Arena, Paris, on Friday.

Leon Marchand fulfilled what French fans may regard as destiny as he swept to a fourth gold medal at his home Paris Games by winning the men's 200 metres Individual Medley in an Olympic record time on Friday.

Roared on by a delirious crowd at La Defense Arena, Marchand took control from the second backstroke leg, stretched his lead through the breaststroke, then powered home with a time of one minute, 54.06 seconds, only 0.06 seconds short of Ryan Lochte's 13-year record.

Britain's Duncan Scott won the silver, more than a second behind Marchand, while China's defending champion Wang Shun took the bronze.

The win made Marchand the first French athlete to take four individual golds, as opposed to team ones, at a single Summer Games and only the third male swimmer to do so after Americans Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.

The 22-year-old won the 400 Individual Medley last Sunday and then both the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke within the space of two incredible hours on Wednesday.

The great expectations might have been too much for other swimmers at their home Games, but Marchand only drew energy from them and lived up to his nickname the "French Michael Phelps".

A delighted French President Emmanuel Macron punched his fist in the air in celebration from the terraces packed with 15,000 fans.

McKeown completes backstroke double with 200m gold

Australia's Kaylee McKeown cemented her place among the greats of Olympic swimming on Friday as she became the first woman to retain both of the backstroke titles with a stunning gold in the 200m event in Paris.

The 23-year-old world record holder once again overhauled hapless American challenger Regan Smith to claim the win in an Olympic record 2:03.73 at La Defense Arena.

Smith, more than a half-second adrift, took her third silver of the Games, denied gold for a second time by the same Australian dominator who beat her for the 100m title on day four.

Kylie Masse took bronze for Canada, her fifth Olympic medal, three years after earning silvers in both the 100 and 200m at Tokyo.

The Olympic women's backstroke has witnessed a procession of outstanding swimmers, including Krisztina Egerszegi and Missy Franklin, since the 200m joined the 100m event at the 1968 Olympics.

But the improbable "double-double" eluded all of them until now.

McKeown is the second swimmer to pull it off and the first in more than 50 years, with Roland Matthes, the East German "Rolls Royce", going back-to-back in both events in 1968-1972.

A predatory swimmer habitually stalking from behind, there was some surprise when McKeown went hard off the blocks and led for most of the first 50m.

It was all a ruse, though, as she then settled into her familiar hunting ground in the middle of the pack.

Smith should know better by now than to try to outlast McKeown from the front -- but that's exactly what she attempted.

The 22-year-old from Minnesota shot to the lead by the second length and held it into the last before her recurring nightmare unfolded as the relentless McKeown picked her off again.

McKeown is now Australia's first Olympian to win four gold medals in individual events as opposed to team ones, taking her past a parade of iconic names like Dawn Fraser, Ian Thorpe and Betty Cuthbert.

Her triumph was Australia's seventh gold of the meet and came only minutes after teammate Cameron McEvoy stormed to the men's 50m freestyle title.

McEvoy wins men's 50 freestyle gold

Australia's Cameron McEvoy took his first Olympic gold medal when he won the men's 50 metres freestyle.

Britain's Ben Proud took the silver medal, and France's Florent Manaudou the bronze - 12 years after he won gold at London 2012.

Olympic champion Caeleb Dressel of the United States finished sixth.

McEvoy is the first Australian man to win the shortest distance on the programme.

• THE OLYMPICS, 2024