PARIS, France (AFP) — Leon Marchand surged to France’s first Olympic swimming gold since 2012 on Sunday, obliterating the field to clock the second-fastest 400m individual medley time ever.

The 22-year-old led off strongly and never looked back, touching in 4mins 02.95secs, nearly six seconds clear of Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita in second, with American Carson Foster third.

Marchand was heavy favourite after demolishing Michael Phelps’ 15-year-old world record in a phenomenal 4:02.50 swim last year.

His performance at a raucous La Defense Arena in Paris was a new Olympic record.

With American defending champion Chase Kalisz failing to reach the final and with the packed crowd roaring him on, Marchand was half a body length clear after the opening butterfly leg.

But it was a sensational backstroke 100m that left his rivals trailing.

Trained by Phelps’s old coach, Bob Bowman, his win made him France’s first pool gold medallist since the London Games, when they won four.

At the 2021 Olympics, they took home just one swimming medal, Florent Manaudou’s silver from the 50m free.

Marchand, a five-time world champion, will also swim the 200m medley and 200m butterfly as he builds on his burgeoning reputation.