Biles, Ledecky, Marchand, Nadal — An Olympics Made for Legends

PARIS — There are things the IOC would like you to believe about the Olympic Games that are not true — they are not harbingers of a better world with peace and not war. They are not a place where politics does not matter. They are not a place where there is an equal playing field among athletes.

But there is one thing the IOC would like to promote about the Games that resonates after the first half of the Games; it is, more than likely, the greatest single gathering of athletes in the world.

Here’s a small list of the athletes that SportsTravel has seen compete in the first seven days here at the Games: Katie Ledecky. Léon Marchand. Simone Biles. Rafael Nadal. That’s four names! This entire story could be just a list of names!

At the Games there are emerging legends, there are current stars but then there are those such as Biles, who has embraced her legacy and on Thursday not only won the all-around gold medal, as she did eight years ago in Rio, but celebrated with a custom necklace of a goat (you know why, you don’t need us to explain why).

“A lot of people love it,” Biles said. ” They always call me the GOAT, so I thought it would be really special if I got one made. The haters hate it, but I like that even more. It’s just a special part of me that I have here.”

Biles won another gold on Saturday in the women’s individual apparatus finals on the vault, making her talling 10 for a career (so far) with seven gold. Not bad for somebody who thinks of herself as “Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, that loves to flip” and even Saturday left open the possibility of staying in the sport through LA28.

She’s much more than that, now. She’s an advocate for mental health, speaking openly about chatting with her therapist before both Tuesday’s team finals and Thursday’s individual all-around.

Winning gold three years after pulling out of multiple finals in Tokyo, there was joy etched on Biles’ face when springing onto the floor exercise mat to celebrate with Lee, holding onto an American flag and blowing kisses into a crowd that included several members of the U.S. men’s basketball team.

And when Biles tried to downplay her impact on the sport’s increased attention, Lee corrected her: “Honestly Simone, I think a lot of it has to do with you.”

(A word here for Lee, the Tokyo all-around winner who is the first to win gold in all-around one Games then earn another medal in the next since Nadia Comaneci in 1976 and ’80 and did it after spending much of the last 15 months dealing with multiple kidney diseases. She has been, in action and with the media, a complete joy).

Joy at winning. Relief from the pressure whether felt externally or internally, perhaps? No matter. Another American sports legend was in a similarly celebratory mood the night before Biles, when Ledecky cruised to gold in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle, a few nights after having felt disappointed with a bronze in the 400.

“My three swims prior to this, I kept feeling that the time was a lot slower than it felt,” Ledecky said Wednesday. “That was the first one that felt like it showed in the time. I’m really happy. … I just wanted to swim a time I could be really happy with and that was the one. It’s never easy to win a gold medal. Just trying to soak in every moment of it.”

The 1,500 is the most grueling of races, one that takes so much time that Ledecky admitted she was able to think about her training partners back home. She could have even stopped and waved to the crowd if she so wanted; Ledecky won by 10 seconds over her nearest finisher, a lifetime in the sport.

“It’s not easy,” she said. “It doesn’t get any easier. I try to enjoy it each year. … I appreciate it a lot and with more perspective than in Rio (2016) and London (2012).”

And spare a thought for Leonie Märtens of Germany, who finished eighth in the Olympics, making her one of the most elite athletes in the world while knowing she finished 42 seconds behind Ledecky.

Ledecky added to her career tally on Saturday night with a win in the 800 freestyle, joining fellow American Michael Phelps as the only swimmers — of any gender and from any country — to win four gold medals in the same event. Ledecky won her ninth Olympic race to match four others for second in any Games. Summer or Winter.

“I try not to think about history very much,” Ledecky said this week. “I know those names, those people I’m up with. They’re people I looked up to when I first started swimming. It’s an honor to be named among them. I’m grateful for them inspiring me. There are so many great swimmers that have helped me get to this moment.”

When it comes to Biles and Ledecky, they come with a large cheering section. Not only Americans — although they have come in giant numbers — but around the world, they have garnered respect for their achievements. No matter the nationality, people have cheered for them.

But there is one person who has been cheered more than any other athlete — Marchand. He came into the Games as one of France’s top athletes, one of whom great expectations were placed. And with that pressure, he did not just meet the moment, he surpassed them all.

“The atmosphere was amazing; I don’t know how to explain it,” said Marchand after winning the 400-meter individual medley last Sunday. “I had goosebumps before, and during the race too. On the breaststroke section I could hear everyone just cheering for me. That was special and winning today was really amazing for me.”

If that’s how he felt on Sunday after his first gold, imagine how he felt on Friday night after his fourth gold. In six days, he won four golds, including the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke on the same night. The final one came not only in front of another sellout crowd, but with French President Emmanuel Macron on hand.

The party for Léon is not limited to La Defense. At Stade de France, hosting the first night of track and field, news of Marchand’s fourth goal brought a roar so loud that the first heat of the 400-meter run in the decathlon was delayed. At the French Olympic house, nearly 20,000 gathered outside to watch Marchand cap his dominating run at the pool.

Marchand is only the fourth swimmer in Olympic history to win four individual golds at a single Games, joining Michael Phelps, who did it in both 2004 and 2008; Mark Spitz in 1972; and East German Kristin Otto in 1988.

“I don’t think anything went wrong this week,” Marchand said. “It was just perfect.”

From one young legend making his mark in the best way possible — starring in the Games that happen to be in his home country — from another legend, one who is not from here but has been adopted by France and is known by all as Rafa.

For Nadal, these Games had a tinge of bittersweet to them. He was able to play again at Roland Garros, his second home, where there is a statue in tribute to his singular achievements on the clay. Having missed this year’s French Open due to lingering injuries that have made his ATP Tour appearances infrequent, Nadal’s first-round win in three sets and more than two hours was roared on by a capacity crowd just happy to have seen him in that moment, a gladiator on his last legs but refusing to go meekly into retirement.

“I came here with a goal to give as much chance as possible to win a medal,” Nadal said after his loss with Carlos Alcarez in the doubles semifinals. “If that’s the last time for me, it’s an unforgettable feeling and emotion. … I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but if that’s the last time, I enjoy it, and for me, it has been a pleasure.”

Nadal is near the end of his career, admitting he is doubtful to play in the U.S. Open. He lost in the second round of singles to longtime rival Novak Djokovic after the draw fated them to meet early instead of late in the tournament but went further in doubles with Alcarez, making it to the semifinals, and spoke eloquently about what the Games meant to him.

“The feelings and the emotions that we live in an Olympic Games are difficult to compare with other events, because here you feel part of something bigger than only a personal team,” said Nadal, later adding “The Olympic Games, for me without a doubt, is the most important event in the world of sport and I enjoyed every single moment with the team.”