Yearender: Most memorable sporting moments of 2024

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- There is an unwritten tradition at every Olympic Games: a young local hero emerges to stir the hearts of the public, carrying the weight of the nation's hopes and etching their story into the collective memory.

Nobody did this more at the Paris 2024 Games than swimmer Leon Marchand, whose historic four-gold-medal performance made him the standout performer in the pool.