Yannick Agnel (born 9 June 1992) is a French former competitive
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
who specializes in
freestyle
Freestyle may refer to:
Brands
* Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe
* Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile
* Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine
* ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker
* Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Lab ...
events, and is a three-time
Olympic
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Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
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medalist. In his Olympic
debut
Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to:
* Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society
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Film and television
* ''The Deb ...
at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, he won gold in the
200-meter freestyle, gold in the
4×100-meter freestyle relay, and silver in the
4×200-meter freestyle relay. He is the current world record holder in the
400-meter freestyle (short course), the
European record holder in the 800-meter freestyle (short course), and the
national record holder in the 200- and 400-meter freestyle (long course).
Agnel's success have earned him ''
Swimming World
''Swimming World'' is a US-based monthly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'', (known ...
s European Swimmer of the Year award in 2012.
Early life
Agnel was born in
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of ...
in 1992, the son of a nurse and a director of human resources. He was named after French tennis player
Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah (; born 18 May 1960) is a French former professional tennis player and singer. Noah won the French Open in 1983, and is currently the captain of both France's Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams. During his nearly two-decade ...
. Agnel began swimming at the age of eight after a neighbor spotted his talent and urged his parents to enroll him in a swimming club. He later integrated
Skema Business School to study
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit."
Having a business name does not separ ...
. He is now in the prestigious French Grande École Paris-Dauphine IX.
Swimming career
Early career
At the
2009 European Junior Swimming Championships
The 2009 European Junior Swimming Championships were held from 8–12 July 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered ...
, Agnel won the 200- and 400-meter freestyle in European junior record times. He was also a member of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay that won gold ahead of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
In April 2010, Agnel set the
French record in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:46.35 to beat
Amaury Leveaux
Amaury Raymond Leveaux (born 2 December 1985) is a French swimmer from Belfort. Leveaux is a former world record holder in the 100 m freestyle (short course – 44.94 sec), the 50 m freestyle (short course – 20.48 sec), and the 50 m butte ...
's record of 1:46.54. In June 2010, he improved his record in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:46.30.
At the
2010 European Junior Swimming Championships, Agnel set the French record in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:46.26 to beat
Nicolas Rostoucher's record of 3:46.28 en route to winning gold.
2010 European Championships
At the
2010 European Aquatics Championships
The 2010 European Aquatics Championships were held from 4–15 August 2010 in Budapest and Balatonfüred, Hungary. It was the fourth time that the city of Budapest hosts this event after 1926, 1958 and 2006. Events in swimming, diving, synchroni ...
, Agnel won gold in the 400-meter freestyle setting a new French and championships record. Agnel then combined with
Fabien Gilot,
William Meynard, and
Alain Bernard
Alain Bernard (; born 1 May 1983) is a former French swimmer from Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhône.
Bernard won a total of four medals (two golds, one silver, and one bronze) at two Olympic Games (2008 and 2012). He also won numerous medals at the W ...
in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay to finish second behind
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
. As the second leg, Agnel had a 48.23 split. As the leadoff leg in the 4×200 m freestyle relay, Agnel broke his own French record in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:45.83. Agnel, with
Clement Lefert,
Antton Haramboure, and
Jérémy Stravius
Jérémy Stravius (born 14 July 1988) is a French swimmer, swimming freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.
Career
Stravius appeared on the world stage at the 2009 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul where he was part of the wi ...
finished in third place in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay behind
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
.
2011 World Championships
At the
2011 World Aquatics Championships
The 14th FINA World Championships () were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synch ...
in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
, Agnel competed in three events. In his first event, the 400-meter freestyle, Agnel finished in 6th place with a time of 3:45.24. In his second event, the 200-meter freestyle, Agnel finished in fifth place with a time of 1:44.99, a new French record. Agnel won his only medal of the competition, a silver, in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Teaming with
Grégory Mallet
Grégory Mallet (born 21 March 1984)
from www.sports-reference.com; retrieved 2009-07-22. i ...
,
Jérémy Stravius
Jérémy Stravius (born 14 July 1988) is a French swimmer, swimming freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.
Career
Stravius appeared on the world stage at the 2009 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul where he was part of the wi ...
, and
Fabien Gilot, their team had a final time of 7:04.81, a new French record. The United States finished 1st with a time of 7:02.67.
2012
2012 Summer Olympics
(NR)
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, Agnel won a total of three medals: two golds and one silver. In his first event, Agnel anchored a come-from-behind effort in the
4×100-meter freestyle relay to win gold with
Amaury Leveaux
Amaury Raymond Leveaux (born 2 December 1985) is a French swimmer from Belfort. Leveaux is a former world record holder in the 100 m freestyle (short course – 44.94 sec), the 50 m freestyle (short course – 20.48 sec), and the 50 m butte ...
,
Fabien Gilot, and
Clément Lefert
Clément Lefert (born 26 September 1987 in Nice) is a retired French Olympic champion in swimming. He won a gold medal at the London 2012 Summer Olympics in the 4 × 100 meters freestyle relay, with teammates Amaury Leveaux, Fabien Gilot, and ...
. Diving in with a 0.55 s deficit, Agnel was able to cut that down to a 0.30 s deficit at the 350-meter mark. In the last 50-meters, Agnel pulled ahead of American
Ryan Lochte
Ryan Steven Lochte ( ; born August 3, 1984) is an American professional swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist. Along with Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, and Jenny Thompson, he is the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history measured by ...
and France won with a time of 3:09:93 to the United States' time of 3:10:38. Agnel swam the fastest split time of the entire field with a time of 46.74, the only individual to break 47 seconds. The next day, Agnel won his second gold medal in the
200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:43.14, the fastest in French swimming history and 1.79 seconds ahead of silver medal winners
Sun Yang
Sun Yang (; ; born 1 December 1991) is a Chinese Olympic and world-record-holding competitive swimmer. In 2012, Sun became the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic swimming gold medal. Sun is the first male swimmer in history to earn Oly ...
and
Park Tae-hwan
Park Tae-hwan (, ; born September 27, 1989) is a South Korean competitive Swimming (sport), swimmer who is an Olympic gold medalist and world champion. He has four Olympic medals, five world titles, and 20 Asian Games medals. He won a gold me ...
. In the final, Agnel led from start-to-finish, recording a time of 50.64 in the first 100-meters and 52.50 in the last 100-meters. His time of 25.98 for the last 50-meters was by far the fastest in the field. Agnel won his final medal, a silver, in the
4×200-meter freestyle relay behind the United States with Amaury Leveaux,
Grégory Mallet
Grégory Mallet (born 21 March 1984)
from www.sports-reference.com; retrieved 2009-07-22. i ...
, and Clément Lefert. He had the fastest split time of the field in the final with a time of 1:43.24 as the anchor leg. In his final event, the
100-meter freestyle, Agnel finished fourth in a personal best time of 47.84, 0.04 s of a second outside the medals. The
European Swimming Federation named Agnel male European swimmer of the year 2012.
Post-Olympics
On 15 November 2012, Agnel broke his first world record in the
400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:32.25 during the first day of the
French short course nationals in
Angers
Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the pr ...
. In doing so, he bettered the previous record held by
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
swimmer
Paul Biedermann
Paul Biedermann (; born 7 August 1986) is a German retired competitive swimmer, a 200 and 400 metre freestyle long course world champion. He holds the long course and short course world records in the 200 meters freestyle, and the long course wo ...
(3.32.77) established in 2009 with a full bodysuit. A day later, he set the
European record in the 800-meter freestyle and on 18 November, Agnel just missed Biedermann's world record in the 200-meter freestyle (short course).
At the
2012 European Short Course Swimming Championships
The 2012 European Short Course Swimming Championships was held in Chartres, France, from November 22 to 25, 2012.
The event was held over four days with heats, semifinals and a final for the 50 m and 100 m events and heats and a final f ...
in
Chartres
Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as def ...
held a week after the French nationals, Agnel won a total of three medals: two gold and one bronze.
At year's end, Agnel was named the
European Swimmer of the Year by ''
Swimming World Magazine
''Swimming World'' is a US-based monthly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'', (known ...
''. In 2013, Agnel was made a Knight (Chevalier) of the
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
.
2013 World Championships
At the
2013 FINA World Championships in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Agnel competed only in three events. On the first day of the tournament, Agnel helped his French team capture the nation's first ever world title over the Americans and the Russians in the
4 × 100 m freestyle relay. Teaming with
Florent Manaudou,
Fabien Gilot, and
Jérémy Stravius
Jérémy Stravius (born 14 July 1988) is a French swimmer, swimming freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.
Career
Stravius appeared on the world stage at the 2009 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul where he was part of the wi ...
in the final, Agnel recorded a lead-off split of 48.76 to deliver the French foursome a sterling time in 3:11.18. Two days later, Agnel added his second gold medal in the
200 m freestyle with a time of 1:44.20, finishing ahead of silver medalist and his training partner
Conor Dwyer
Conor James Dwyer (born January 10, 1989) is a former American competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. He competed in freestyle and medley events, and won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. 4×200-meter freestyle relay team a ...
by 1.07 seconds. In his final event,
4 × 200 m freestyle relay, Agnel, along with Stravius,
Grégory Mallet
Grégory Mallet (born 21 March 1984)
from www.sports-reference.com; retrieved 2009-07-22. i ...
, and Lorys Bourelly, missed the podium by 17-hundredths of a second behind the Chinese team with a fourth-place effort in 7:04.91.
2014
After swimming in Nice, Agnel moved to the US to swim for the
North Baltimore Aquatic Club
The North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) is a swim club based in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1968, it continues to offer training for young swimmers. It is best known for developing a dozen Olympic swimmers, six of whom earned gold m ...
, under coach
Bob Bowman. The move proved to be un-successful as at the 2014 European Championship, Agnel was out of form and could only secure a bronze medal in the 200m freestyle.
After the event, he decided to come back to France and now trains in Mulhouse.
2015
After securing a spot in the French national team, Agnel decided not to compete at the world championship in Kazan due to illness.
2016
Agnel finished in third position in the 200m freestyle event at the French national championships held on 30 March in
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
.
Jérémy Stravius
Jérémy Stravius (born 14 July 1988) is a French swimmer, swimming freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.
Career
Stravius appeared on the world stage at the 2009 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul where he was part of the wi ...
won the race while
Jordan Pothain
Jordan Pothain (born 14 October 1994) is a French swimmer.
He competes at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Braz ...
was second. In a controversial finish, it appeared that Agnel had finished second but failed to make clean contact with the timing pad at the end of the race. Only the top two finishers would qualify for the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
. However, Agnel's path to defending his Olympic 200m freestyle title has been cleared by Pothain's decision to swim the 400m freestyle and not the 200m freestyle.
At the Rio Olympics, Agnel failed to go past the heats of the 200m freestyle. He announced his retirement from competitive swimming soon after.
Personal bests
See also
*
World record progression 400 metres freestyle
The first world record in the men's 400 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1908. In the short course (25 metres) swimming events the world's governing b ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnel, Yannick
1992 births
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Living people
French male freestyle swimmers
Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
Sportspeople from Nîmes
Olympic gold medalists for France
Olympic silver medalists for France
Olympic swimmers of France
Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
World record holders in swimming
European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
European champions for France
Olympic gold medalists in swimming
Olympic silver medalists in swimming