At the 2004 Athens Games, Florent Manaudou was only a 13-year-old with dimples, proudly waving a blue, white, and red flag from the stands to cheer on his elder sister Laure in her last race, the 800-meter freestyle (silver medal). He had watched her 400-meter freestyle (gold) and 100-meter backstroke (bronze) races from home with his parents. Since then, the younger sibling has swum in three successive Olympic Games, medaling each time in the 50-meter freestyle (one gold in 2012, and two silvers, in 2016 and 2021). At nearly 33, he has set himself one final challenge: To come full circle at the Paris 2024 Games.

That just about sums it up. London was my childhood dream, to discover what the Olympic Games were all about and to compete there with my sister. I wouldn't say it was a surprise because I was going there to win, even if I wasn't the favorite. The Rio Games were the ones I enjoyed the least because I was the favorite. I was swimming at the end of the week, and I had to "save" the French swim team, which hadn't really performed up to that point. And I lost the gold medal by 0.01 of a second...

Tokyo remains my fondest memory because a month and a half beforehand, I had had a disastrous French Championships, where I lost my national title [in the 50-meter freestyle] for the first time since 2012. I came into the Games with low confidence, and I managed to turn that around.

I want it to be a grand finale and to be able to enjoy it with the French public. In swimming, we haven't been lucky enough to have any major World or European Championships in France, so this will be the first... and last time for me I think. I'm really looking forward to it.

For sure. I've spoken to friends in Brazil, England, and Japan, and they told me that experiencing the Games in your own country is something very special, but that you have to be prepared for popular pressure. All day long, you run into supporters, the people who will serve you food in the cafeteria, the people who will clean your room or drive the buses, and so on. But if you're not prepared, those little words repeated 10 or 15 times during the day can make you think, "Dang, there are so many people expecting me to do well and give them a thrill..." and that can inhibit you. I may have been to the Games three times, but I think what lies ahead will be different. You've got to realize that this is the chance of a lifetime.

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