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French Olympic gold medallist Florent Manaudou announces retirement / Photo: © AFP/File
French Olympic gold medallist Florent Manaudou announces retirement
French six-time Olympic medallist Florent Manaudou, who has not competed since 2024, announced on Thursday that he was retiring from swimming at the age of 35.
"Two years on from the Paris Olympics, that's it -- I'm announcing my retirement. It will take place on Saturday" during a ceremony at the European swimming championships in Paris, said the London Games 50m freestyle gold medallist.
After winning two bronze medals in the 50m freestyle and the 4x100m medley relay at the Paris 2024 Games, Manaudou took a break from competitive swimming, just as he had done between 2016 and 2019 before returning to action.
But this time he will not make a comeback and the final competition of his storied career was a meet in Saint-Dizier in October 2024.
He has been acting as an 'ambassador' for the European championships, which are currently taking place in Paris.
Following his surprise title in London, Manaudou cemented his status as a sprinting giant by winning silver in 2016 in Rio and in 2021 in Tokyo -- both times in the 50m freestyle, his favourite event.
The brother of Olympic gold medallist swimmer Laure Manaudou, he also won four European titles in Berlin in 2014 and three in London two years later.
He claimed three world titles in Kazan in 2015, as well as one in Barcelona in 2013.
Between the Rio and Tokyo Games, he tried his hand at handball with Aix-en-Provence, as well as working as a sports commentator for France Televisions, where he announced his retirement live on air on Thursday.
V.J. Coelho--JDB
