Four years after admitting his body was getting tired, Florent Manaudou has finally listened to it. At 35, the French swimming great is calling time on a career that delivered six Olympic medals.

Manaudou officially announced his retirement from swimming on Thursday, August 13, i.e., two years after his last Olympic race in Paris. “Two years on from the Paris Olympics, that’s it – I’m announcing my retirement,” Manaudou said on France TV. He added that his farewell ceremony will take place Saturday during the European Aquatics Championships in Paris.

Manaudou even shared an IG story, inviting fans to the Olympic Aquatics Center on Saturday at 6 p.m., promising “a few surprises.”

Talking about surprises, well, was his retirement a big surprise, though? Probably not! Because he had previously revealed that without the prospect of a home Olympics in Paris, he might have stopped after Tokyo in 2021. But the opportunity to race in front of a French crowd gave him one more reason to keep going.

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And he made that final chapter count…

At the Paris Olympics, Manaudou added two more bronze medals to his collection, finishing third in the 50m freestyle before helping France to another podium in the 4x100m medley relay. The 50m freestyle bronze was particularly significant… it gave him a medal in the event at four consecutive Olympic Games.

His Olympic journey began with a shock in London 2012. At just 22, Manaudou won the 50m freestyle gold at his second major senior meet and suddenly became a name to watch.

More medals followed. He won three Olympic silvers across Rio and Tokyo before adding those two bronzes in Paris, finishing his four-Games career with six Olympic medals.

There was plenty more success along the way, including four World Championship golds and 11 European titles. But Manaudou’s journey was anything but straightforward.

Florent Manaudou once even took up professional handball

After winning two silver medals at Rio 2016, Manaudou walked away from swimming. Instead, he took up professional handball with Aix-en-Provence.

The decision came after years of dealing with pressure from the media and public. Following his disappointment at missing out on another Olympic title in the 50m freestyle, Manaudou felt he was no longer swimming for the right reasons.

Handball gave him something swimming couldn’t at that point: a completely different environment and the feeling of being part of a team. It worked…

When Manaudou returned to swimming in 2019, the break had helped him rediscover his enjoyment of the sport. He went on to win another Olympic silver in Tokyo before becoming one of the faces of France’s home Games in Paris, where he served as a flag bearer.

Then, after Paris, he stepped away from competition once again.
His final race came in Saint-Dizier in October 2024. This time, however, the pause became permanent.

His retirement announcement quickly drew reactions from across swimming.
Michael Phelps responded to a SwimSwam Instagram post about Manaudou’s retirement with three clapping emojis. Olympic champion Chad le Clos left three heart emojis, while British Olympic champion James Guy also sent his love.

Former Brazilian swimmer Bruno Fratus, another familiar face from the sprinting world, offered something more personal. “True champion, it was my absolute honor to have the privilege to race this guy,” he wrote.

Now, after 35 years and six Olympic medals, Manaudou is ready to leave the pool behind for good. This time, there is no next comeback waiting around the corner.

And perhaps that is what makes his goodbye so fitting. Manaudou never took the easy route, but every comeback, setback, and medal added another chapter to a career that will be remembered long after he leaves the pool.