Among the 23 athletes from Azure selected for the London Olympic Games, there are no less than 8 swimmers. Among them, Yannick Agnel and Camille Muffat (Olympic Nice Natation) are the top medal hopefuls. The same goes for the Antibes native Alain Bernard, Olympic champion in the 100 meters freestyle in Beijing (2008). Profiles of the three champions.
Certainly, Azure swimming is in great shape. Among the 23 Athletes from Azure who have secured their ticket to the London Olympics, a third perform in the pools. Eight of them will cross the Channel at the end of July. Three of them are huge favorites.
Camille Muffat, the anti-Manaudou (22 years old). Beating Laure Manaudou—at the height of her career—at only 15 is no small feat. Yet, Camille Muffat did just that. In 2005, the Nice native won the 200 meters medley, setting the French record in the 400 meters freestyle, a record previously held by the Olympic champion (2’15″30, 33 hundredths better).
Since then, Camille Muffat has been on a roll. In August 2006, she won four medals (including one gold) at the Junior World Championships in Rio (Brazil). The swimmer from Olympic Nice Natation had to wait until the European Championships in Eindhoven to win her first senior medal. It was a bronze. That same year, she snatched the French record from Laure Manaudou during the French Championships in Dunkerque, in the 200 meters medley with a time of 2’11″15.
She repeated the feat this year at the same location, becoming the French champion in the 400 meters freestyle, with a time of 4’01″13 (one second faster than Manaudou in 2006). Two days later, she broke a third record formerly held by the French swimming icon, winning the 200 meters freestyle in 1’54″87. Another French record fell. Camille Muffat is on cloud nine.
Yannick Agnel, the new boss (20 years old). Yannick Agnel has stood out from a very early age. While most of his rivals opted for a swimsuit, the Gardois decided to swim in a bathing suit. A curious but effective choice.
In 2009, he competed in his first international competition: the European Junior Championships in Prague (Czech Republic). Agnel made a splash by winning three titles in the 200 and 400 meters freestyle and the 4 x 200 meters. After obtaining his high school diploma (honors) the following year, the troublemaker of the pools repeated the feat in Helsinki, grabbing 5 gold medals.
He claimed his first French record in the 200 m freestyle with a time of 1’45″47 in 2011, in Schiltigheim (Alsace), and improved it this year in Dunkerque (Nord), covering the same distance in 1’44″42. Then, less than a month before the games, Yannick Agnel once again asserted himself in the 400 meters and 100 meters freestyle. The swimmer from Olympic Nice Natation is set to become the new leader of the French team.
Alain Bernard, the veteran (29 years old). In London, Alain Bernard will experience his last Games. The Olympic champion in the 100 meters freestyle in Beijing (China, 2008), the swimmer from Antibes has not managed to qualify individually.
He will only compete in the 4 x 100 meters freestyle relay. These underperformances have led Alain Bernard to draw a line under an exemplary career, dotted with successes. Already in Beijing, he won three medals (silver, gold, bronze). A rare achievement worth noting.
In 2009, he made history in swimming by becoming the first swimmer to break the 47-second mark in the 100 meters freestyle. Unfortunately, his world record was not ratified by the International Swimming Federation because the Arena X-Glide suit used by Alain Bernard was non-compliant. After a successful year in 2010, crowned with a World Championship title in Dubai (UAE), he faced tougher competition in 2011.
