AMID CHANTS OF 'LEON', MARCHAND HAS HIS MOMENT

Comparisons with Michael Phelps will grow after Frenchman delivers in the 400m medley

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LEON Marchand carried the comparisons to Michael Phelps and the hopes of a nation on his broad shoulders. The 22year-old Frenchman handled it all with ease, setting himself up to be one of the biggest stars of the Paris Olympics. With a flag-waving crowd cheering his every stroke, Marchand delivered a swimming gold for France with a dominating victory in the men's 400-meter individual medley on Sunday night.

Marchand was ahead as soon as his head popped from the water and he steadily pulled away from the field in what was essentially two separate races: Marchand going against the clock and everyone else competing for silver and bronze.

"I started very, very fast," he said. "I didn't look at the other lanes. I was focused on myself." Marchand was under worldrecord pace on the final turn but faded a bit coming home, touching in 4 minutes, 2.95 seconds an Olympic record, but just shy of his own world mark of 4:02.50. Marchand claimed that vaunted standard at last year's world championships in Japan, erasing the record held by Phelps for 15 years.