Florent Manaudou has definitively ended his career. At 35, the French Olympic champion announced this Thursday, August 13, that he is retiring from competitive swimming, nearly two years after his last medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The announcement was made live on France Télévisions, where the swimmer is working as a commentator during the European Championships held at the Saint-Denis Olympic Aquatic Center. While his sporting future had officially remained uncertain for several months, Florent Manaudou has now uttered the words that definitively close the door on a return to competition. "Two years later, I'm announcing the end. It will be this Saturday at 18 p.m. For those coming to the pool, I invite you to arrive half an hour earlier ," he declared on air.
A jubilee celebration on Saturday in Saint-Denis
Florent Manaudou's career will be officially celebrated on Saturday, August 15th in Saint-Denis. A jubilee ceremony is scheduled for 6:00 PM at the Olympic Aquatic Center, on the sidelines of the European Swimming Championships. This ceremony will allow the French public to bid a final farewell to one of the most decorated swimmers in the history of French swimming. His sister, Laure Manaudou, is expected to be in attendance. Florent Manaudou had, however, chosen not to participate in the 2026 European Championships. As early as January, he had announced that he would not take part in the competition, of which he is one of the patrons. At the time, he refused to officially discuss retirement and left open the possibility of a potential comeback. This time, the doubt has been dispelled.
Two years of reflection after the Paris Olympics
Florent Manaudou hadn't competed in a major international competition since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. There, he won two more bronze medals, in the 50m freestyle and with the French 4x100m medley relay team. He then participated in the Saint-Dizier meet in October 2024, before gradually withdrawing from training and competition. In recent months, the Frenchman had significantly reduced his training schedule and pursued numerous projects outside the pool. He notably participated in Dancing with the Stars in 2025, finishing second with Elsa Bois, while also considering various personal, charitable, and humanitarian projects.
Olympic champion in London, six Olympic medals
Florent Manaudou leaves the pool with six Olympic medals won across four consecutive Games. His international career took off at the 2012 London Games. At 21, he caused a sensation by becoming Olympic champion in the 50m freestyle. Four years later, in Rio, he won two silver medals: in the 50m freestyle and with the 4x100m freestyle relay. After a hiatus from competitive swimming, notably to pursue handball, he returned to high-level competition in 2019. At the 2021 Tokyo Games, he again won silver in the 50m freestyle. Finally, in Paris in 2024, Florent Manaudou reached the podium twice more, winning bronze in the 50m freestyle and the 4x100m medley relay. His Olympic record therefore stands at six medals: one gold, three silver and two bronze.
On the podium for the 50m at four consecutive Games
Florent Manaudou achieved an exceptional performance in his signature event. Between London 2012 and Paris 2024, he reached the Olympic podium in the 50m freestyle at four consecutive Games: gold in London, silver in Rio, silver in Tokyo, and bronze in Paris. In addition to these Olympic results, he also won numerous world and European titles, both individually and in relays. He had already taken a break from his career once before, after the Rio 2016 Games. After several years away from the highest level, he resumed training in 2019 with the ambition of returning to the Games. This decision ultimately allowed him to add three more Olympic medals to his collection.
Saturday, the final farewells at the edge of the pool
Since Paris 2024, Florent Manaudou had carefully avoided uttering the word "retirement." Even last January, when he announced his withdrawal from the European Championships in Saint-Denis, he explained that he didn't want to definitively close the door on a comeback. The suspense ultimately lasted nearly two years. At 35, Florent Manaudou has now made his decision. On Saturday, at the Saint-Denis Olympic Aquatic Center, the French public will be able to celebrate the London Olympic champion one last time and close the book on fourteen years of an international career marked by six Olympic medals and four consecutive podium finishes in the 50m freestyle.
