Chartres, must remind you of some memories…
It’s been a long time since I’ve been there but yes it’s true we have swum there many times in championships. This time will be different, but still a pleasure. Tonight I will be the spokesperson for the best athletes.
How is your life structured now? Today I am a business speaker. I draw the parallel between top-level sport and the business world, on different topics that can be problematic when I speak. I’m talking about management, mentality, team spirit, I went back to school at the end of my career to be able to move on to this retraining. And I love it!
Sport is now running and a little gym to try to move. Swimming, I think I did the trick.
Do you still swim for fun?
No not at all. I will still participate in interclubs with my club Stars 92, but it will be the last time I will be seen competing. I haven’t swum all year, so it’s going to be tricky. Sport is now running and a little gym to try to move. Swimming, I think I did the trick. I’m not grossed out by it, but all I knew was the performance. So when I get to the pool, I still struggle to find pleasure…
Do you run competitively?
From time to time I participate in some trails. I often run for associations. I did the Nice ironman, again for an association. Well, I’m throwing myself some crazy challenges.
French Championships, in Chartres: Maxime Grousset, the best last
When you look back on your career, what do you say to yourself?
Not bad ! Above all, I tell myself that it was an extraordinary human adventure and that swimming made me grow. I started as a child and when I stopped I was a responsible adult. I was really lucky to have this first life as a top athlete and to start a second, very different one. It was fun, that’s it.
Do you feel like you have reached your full potential?
The best athletes are always eternally dissatisfied. I would have liked to get this Olympic title which unfortunately I don’t have in my purse. It’s part of life. Failure is the beginning of success. I mourned this Olympic medal even though in an ideal world I wish I had it.
“I recently got a haircut so I’m a little less recognizable, but a few weeks ago with long hair it was still the same. It’s part of the game and I don’t mind at all. People are nice.”
Finally, what was the strongest moment of your career?
The last world champion title, in 2017, in Budapest, I think. It was my last race, I knew I was going to quit. Usually, when you get on a podium, you’re already thinking about what’s next, you’re already thinking about resuming training to win again. There, it was one of the first times I looked back on my career. It was a magical moment, I felt like fifty were on the podium, with all my friends and the people thanks to whom I have been able to make this career. And my family of course. It was the best way to end this first life.
And for this second life, didn’t you want to stay in the world of swimming?
For nothing. I only do internships under my own name in the summer in Saint-Raphaël, where I am present. But it’s not high end, it’s more about great pool holidays. I’m also trying to get things moving from within as I’m involved in Ligue d’Île-de-France. The idea is to give back a little of what swimming has given me, but I didn’t want to make a job out of it.
When the Olympic champion Florent Manaudou swims with the children of Mainvilliers
Has your great popularity with the public remained?
It’s still there, yes. I’m lucky people like me. I recently had my hair cut, so I’m a little less recognizable, but a few weeks ago, with long hair, it was still the same. It’s part of the game and it doesn’t bother me at all. People are nice.
How do you see the evolution of French swimming?
For a while we see that a new generation is coming. We saw him this summer at the world and European championships. Of course, Léon Marchand is at the head of the bill, but there is a high level behind it. It took a while for our generation to mourn, but today we see really strong French swimmers, somewhat in the same spirit that we had at the time. They have long teeth and they want to win medals. It’s a pleasure to see them evolve. They work very hard and are fearless. Nobody intimidates them.
Léon Marchand has the potential to be the best French swimmer in history.
Léon Marchand is sometimes compared to Phelps. A great future in your opinion?
I don’t like comparisons to Phelps, who is still the greatest swimmer of all time. On the other hand, we have probably never met such a talented swimmer in France. If he continues this momentum, he has the potential to be the best Frenchman in history. It’s a wonderful opportunity for French swimming. When you see him win two titles for his first world championships, he’s impressive. He will cheer everyone up. I can’t wait to see his development and the rest of his career.
Romain Leger
