“The Olympic Games in Paris are exceptional within the exceptional”: Alexandre Boyon recounts this first week of the Olympic Games

Alexandre Boyon entouré de Laure Manaudou et Camille Lacourt aux commentaires de la natation. CAPTURE D'ECRAN – FRANCE TELEVISIONS

Un des journalistes historiques de France Télévisions, Alexandre Boyon, raconte la première semaine des JO de Paris 2024, marquée par la réussite de Léon Marchand en natation.

His iconic voice has been embellishing and accompanying swimming exploits since 1997. Hint: “The wild beasts are unleashed”. You have it ?

For these Paris Olympic Games, Alexandre Boyon, is forced to let loose. With the phenomenon Léon Marchand (four gold medals, for the moment), the decibels are undeniably rising. But his voice is not yet broken. After swimming, he is heading to athletics. In the meantime, he took a few minutes to answer questions from Midi Libre.

Can we say that you are commentating on a completely crazy Olympiad ?

Oh yeah, it's crazy. First of all, because it's in France. It hasn't happened in Paris for a century. It's also crazy because I'm in swimming and we have a completely incredible swimmer. Apart from Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps, no one else in the boys' category has been as impressive.

Then the atmosphere is incredible. There's a burst of encouragement, positive energy… The Games are already exceptional. But the Games in Paris are exceptional within the exceptional.

Léon Marchand, can he become the greatest swimmer in history ?

It's going to be complicated. He will never surpass Michael Phelps in terms of medals (28 medals including 23 gold) for a simple and good reason. The American was with relays that were dominant almost everywhere. He had an incredible generation around him. When you have a Ryan Lochte, the other best swimmer in the world, behind Michael Phelps, it's a bit like Scottie Pippen behind Michael Jordan.

Afterwards, on the individual titles, Léon Marchand is achieving things that have never been done.

Beyond his performances, what makes you say that he is exceptional ?

He has the same coach as Michael Phelps, Bob Bowman. And he wowed him. He also bluffed Michael Phelps. Phelps had never tried to win two individual titles in the same day.

And yet, he leaves with four Olympic records. And yet, the pool is not necessarily very fast. There has only been one world record so far, the 100m freestyle with the Chinese Pan Zhanle,

But Marchand has already made his mark. He is already in the pantheon of swimmers, at 22 years old. He will be one of the greatest.

🇫🇷😂

Quel régal d'écouter Laure Manaudou, Alexandre Boyon et Camille Lacourt ❤️

Merci. pic.twitter.com/BkJFAI1WjU

— SPORTRICOLORE (@sportricolore) August 2, 2024

“I can't prioritize”

Can he really do better ? What are his areas for improvement ?

I think he's missing one little thing right now, and that's freestyle. We mustn't lose sight of the fact that Michael Phelps had the ability to swim 47.5 in the 100m, to win the 200m. Besides, Bowman has already said it, that will be his next challenge. He's 22, he's still a baby swimmer.

The 200m butterfly, is it the most impressive final you've ever commentated on ?

No. It's very good, huh. But strategically, Léon Marchand, it was perfect. Kristof Milak explodes a little in the last 50 because Léon put pressure on him to start very quickly in the first 150. It's very impressive visually.

What's crazy is the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke sequence. There's also the 200m medley six hundredths of a second off the world record at the end of the competition, when he was tired and in a slow pool.

Since you started commenting, what is your best memory in swimming ?

I can't rank them. Florent Manaudou who smashed his record by 5 tenths to win in 2012, Yannick Agnel who returned to the 4×100 meters on Lochte (2012), Alain Bernard, Laure Manaudou… I can't.

“It's an enchanted interlude that goes beyond everything”

These Olympics put an end to a few complicated years for French swimming.

At the Olympic Games, yes, it should be clarified. Since 2022, since you have Léon Marchand or Maxime Grousset, things have changed.

French swimming has a strong capacity to renew itself. I was incredibly lucky. I arrived in swimming in 97. In 96, there were zero medals. It was the Berezina.

And then it's quite symbolic, because it was a time when there was Xavier Marchand (father of Léon), vice-European champion, vice-world champion. Or the first title for Roxana Maracineanu in 98. 2004, Laure Manaudou… In 2008, it doesn't work anymore, we can say that we're going to fail. And at the finish, you have sprinters who are incredible. You have 5 medals, the title for Alain Bernard in the 100m.

And then in 2012, you say to yourself that Alain Bernard is a little less good. And what happens ? You end up with 4 medals, the 4x100m, Camille Muffat who wins…

How do you organize yourselves for the commentary with Laure Manaudou and Camille Lacourt ?

We don't organize ourselves. It happens naturally.

France Télévisions has obviously done things in a big way for these Games. How is it going behind the scenes ?

It's happening beyond what we imagined. Organizing evenings with an average of more than 10 million people, swimming races with peaks of 14.5 million people… You know, we've heard a lot of things before. Security, we shouldn't have a ceremony on the Seine, we don't want the Games, it's going to be too hot, we're not going to swim… And all that, in a very tense political context.

I think that now, we realize that we can be united beyond differences, beyond origins, beyond orientations. I see people who are happy, who share, who smile. I touch wood, but you haven't had any problems so far. Because the real big issue in recent months was still security.

It's an enchanted interlude that goes beyond everything. When you see the fan zones, the people who watch a football match and who, at the same time, are on their phones and who scream when Teddy Riner wins or someone else. These are magical moments.