On August 2, Florent Manaudou came third in the 50m freestyle, the distance that had made him a star at the London Games in 2012. After silver in Rio in 2016 and in Tokyo in 2021, the 33-year-old achieved an unprecedented feat in Paris: no swimmer had ever climbed onto the podium of the Olympic Games four times in a row over this distance. On Friday, September 6, after the start of the para-swimming final at the Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, the flag-bearer of the French delegation looked back on these Olympic and Paralympic weeks.
A few months ago, you said you wanted to “complete the circuit” in Paris: did this fourth medal make you want to play extra time?
I already said that I did it in Rio, then in Tokyo and there in Paris… They are not loops, but spirals. [sourire] ! Obviously we want to have more, but I also know that I won’t go through that again and that’s okay. Over the last six months I’ve had a peak of emotions between the arrival of the flame in Marseille [où il était le premier porteur]My role as standard-bearer during the inaugural ceremony of the “paras” [où il a porté à nouveau la flamme]I got the most emotions and gave my all, and that’s why I like to play sports. There’s a European Championship in France in 2026, so I’ll continue at least until then, and then we’ll see.
What will you remember about these Games?
The public, because I didn’t expect it at all. I expected the public to be jubilant about the victories, because we are very good at that, but also waiting for the results and that they would feel disappointed and almost cruel if we lost. Well, not at all. People came to see us to support us.
I have reached the end of my search for pleasure. That is to say, I have finally managed to enjoy my day in my 50 meters, something I was unable to do during the first 29 seasons of my life. Beyond the medals [il en a aussi eu une en bronze avec le relais masculin 4×100 m quatre nages]Being able to see myself happy in an Olympic final is much more important.
How do you explain this change of mood?
I actually had no expectations. I didn’t tell myself “I have to win” but rather “have fun, try to smile, enjoy the moment.” I partied a lot from September to December, but these moments are the only ones where you are in the present moment. I had prepared a playlist for myself, which I titled “Swimming with good energy”. Thanks to the music I listened to before the races, I was back in a celebratory mood. Then I felt like I was at a party. It’s a key that we found with Quentin. [Coton, l’un de ses entraîneurs].
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