One hundred seconds can make a massive difference in separating two positions in swimming. Just look at Florent Manaudou’s career and how such seconds can make a huge impact.
Despite coming as an underdog in the 2012 Olympics, the French swimmer won 50m freestyle, whereas four years later, he retired due to that same hundredth of a second.
However, the world 50m backstroke record holder made an incredible comeback in 2019 after playing professional handball in the French second tier for two years.
During his early years, he was trained by his brother. Likewise, Manaudou and his sister became the first siblings to win gold medals in an Olympic swimming event.
Furthermore, he is currently dating a Danish Olympic gold medalist swimmer Pernille Blume looking at his personal life.
Now, let us have a glance at his quick facts before jumping to find out more exciting things about Manaudou and his professional career.
Quick Facts
| Name | Florent Manaudou |
| Date of Birth | 12 November 1990 |
| Birth Place | Villeurbanne, France |
| Nick Name | Unavailable |
| Age | 33 years old |
| Gender | Male |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | French |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Horoscope | Scorpio |
| Profession | Swimming |
| Height | 6’6″ (1.99 m) |
| Weight | 108 kg (238 lbs) |
| Wingspan | Unknown |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) | 17.5 |
| Build | Athletic |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Tattoo | Yes |
| Father Name | Jean-Luc Manaudou |
| Mother Name | Olga Schippers |
| Siblings | Laure Manaudou (sister), Nichols Manaudou (brother) |
| Relationship | Dating (2020) |
| Girlfriend | Pernille Blume |
| Education | School De La Plaine De L’ain |
| Team | Energy Standard, CN Marseille |
| Coach | Julien Jacquier |
| Strokes | Freestyle, Butterfly, Backstroke |
| Career | 2007-present |
| Olympic Records |
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| World Championship Records |
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| Personal Best |
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| Salary | Unavailable |
| Net Worth | $1.5 million |
| Hobbies | Travel, Motorbike |
| Social media | Instagram, Facebook, Twitter |
| Swimming Merch | Swimming gear, Accessories |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Florent Manaudou | Background and Personal Life
Florent Manaudou was born on 12th November 1990 in Villeurbanne, France. He is son of Jean-Luc Manaudou and Olga Schippers.
Moreover, his father is French, and his mother is Dutch. He has two siblings, brother Nicholas and sister Laure. Both of them are older than him.
In 2009, he joined the French Army after failing to make his debut on the international stage. Likewise, he is part of the artillery regiment in the Army.
Furthermore, for his outstanding swimming performance in 2012, he was awarded the Knight of the French National Order of the Légion d’Honneur.
Personal Life
In 2019, Manaudou publicly announced his relationship with Pernille Blume through social media.
Manaudou is often seen with his partner roaming around the cities during his free hours.
Blume is also a professional swimmer. Moreover, representing Denmark, she won the gold medal in 50m freestyle and bronze in 4x100m relays.
Furthermore, at International Swimming League, she is a member of Team Energy Standard, just like her boyfriend.
Previously, he was in a relationship with multiple girls.
In 2017, Manaudou was in a relationship with Alize Lim, the French professional tennis player. Likewise, he fell in love with a young model Ambre Baker while visiting Tahiti.
Similarly, before Ambre, he was in 3 years relationship with French professional horse rider Fanny Skalli.
Family Affair
Manaudou comes from a sports family. His father was a former professional handball player, whereas his siblings come from a swimming background.
Moreover, his brother provided trained him in his early years. In 2007, under Nicholas’s guidance, he even won 50m freestyle in the France Junior swimming championship.
Nicholas trained him until 2011 in his first World Championship held in Shanghai. Later, he decided to join his sister and train under Romain Barnier.
His sister Laure is a retired professional swimmer. Moreover, they are the first siblings to win gold medals at Olympics in swimming.
In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Laure won gold in 400m freestyle, whereas Manaudou won gold in the 2012 London Olympics in 50m freestyle.
Previously she also held a world record in freestyle 200m and 1500m.
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Handball Love
During his childhood, Manaudou played handball as much as he played swimming. Later, when he turned 13, he focused entirely on swimming.
However, after retiring from swimming in 2016, he again decided to follow his youth love and passion for handball.
So, he signed with the French second division side Aix en Provence at 25, where he played two seasons.
Moreover, he scored 15 goals in 10 matches in his last season. However, he made a remarkable comeback to swimming in 2019.
Controversies
In 2015, Manaudou was criticized by various wildlife organizations and the public for posting photos on Facebook in front of Lar gibbon in Thailand.
He may not have been familiar with Thailand law as, since 1992, country law restricts the use of endangered spec for photos and other purposes.
Florent Manaudou | Physical Appearance and Training
Physical Appearance
Manaudou is a tall swimmer standing 6 ft 6 inches. Likewise, he weighs around 108kg.
He is also one of the most attractive and good-looking swimmers globally. So, that’s no surprise why he has been featured in modeling and movies.
He is mainly known for dimples, silky smooth hair, and tongue piercing. Moreover, one of the coolest traits of his body is a tattoo.
He has starred in French TV shows and series such as Section de Recherches, Munch, and Vestiaires.
Likewise, he has done modeling for many famous brands and magazines. Some of them are Numero Hommes, GQ, Men’s Fitness, and L’EQUIPE.
Furthermore, in 2013 he and Frederick Bousquet posed for the project to support the LGBTQ community.
Training and Diet
Manaudou has one of the best well-built physiques that many dreams of. Thanks to his workout and training.
His huge size muscles and frame help him generate more power in the sprints.
Looking at his body, it’s a shock that he doesn’t follow any diet. Moreover, he likes to eat everything he wants that contains nutrition without any restrictions.
However, he has a specific training routine and adequate sleep time to maintain his body in perfect shape.
In addition to his sprint events and practice, he does weight training three times a week in the gym and goes biking around Marseilles mountain once a week.
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Florent Manaudou | Professional Career
World Championship
Manaudou made his debut on the international stage in China’s 2011 World Aquatics Championship.
He competed in the 50m butterfly at the finals finishing fifth in 23.49. However, it was slower than his semis time of 23.32.
He also competed in the 4×100 m medley relay (butterfly leg), but the Franch side failed to qualify for the finals.
In the 2012 World, Short Course Championship finished the event with one silver and one bronze.
Later, in 2013 Manaudou finally got his hand on his first world championship medal in Barcelona.
In 4×100 m freestyle, he swam in the second leg, finishing with 47.93 to help France win gold.
Likewise, he placed eighth and fifth in 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.
In the 2014 World Short Course Championship in Doha, he won six gold medals, including three golds.
Watch Florent Manaudou making a World Record at 50 m Backstroke >>
Moreover, he set a world record in 50m freestyle (20.26) and 50m backstrokes (22.22). However, his 50m freestyle record has been broken already by Caeleb Dressel.
In Kazan’s 2015 World Aquatics Championship, Manaudou was dominant in short-distance events.
Firstly, he won gold in 50m butterfly, consecutive 4x 100m relay, and 50m freestyle.
Olympics
Florent Manaudou’s major breakout in international swimming came after the 2012 London Olympics.
During the France Olympics trials, he managed to qualify for the Olympics, finishing second in 50m freestyle.
Later, at the Olympics finals, he won a gold medal in the only event he competed in, 50m freestyle.
Moreover, he is the first French to win gold in 50m freestyle and the 6th gold medalist in individual events.
To win his first and only Olympics gold, he finished with a time of 21.30 ahead of Cesar Cielo and Cullen Jones.
Later, in the 2016 Olympics, he competed in 400m freestyle relay and 50m freestyle but failed to qualify for 100m freestyle.
In the 400m freestyle relay, France finished second behind the USA.
More awards & glory
Likewise, in 50m freestyle also took the silver medal. Moreover, he failed to defend his title by 0.01 seconds, losing to Anthony Ervin.
After Rio Olympics, Manaudou announced taking a break from swimming on Facebook to play handball. However, he also mentioned plans to return in the future.
Moreover, before heading to Rio, he had already mentioned his strength to continue swimming depends on results.
After returning to swimming, he competed in the French 2021 Olympic trials, winning 50m freestyle with 21.72 seconds.
Now, in Tokyo, he wants to redeem his loss from the previous Olympics by winning gold.
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International Swimming League
In the 2019 Sette Colli Trophy, Manaudou made his comeback to swimming winning silver in 50m freestyle.
Later, he signed with Team Energy Standard for the first season of the International Swimming League.
Moreover, he co-captained his team alongside Swedish Sarah Sjostrom to win the inaugural season on his return to swimming.
As sprint-free/ back specialist, he had a valuable contribution to the team and was the team’s central potion for every skins race.
Likewise, in the 2020 edition of ISL, his team finished second behind Cali Condors. Likewise, he only validated his qualification for the Tokyo Games in the 50m.
However, his team set an ISL record in 3 relay events, and Manaudou was a member in those events.
Florent Manaudou | Earnings and Net Worth
Earnings
In the 2020 International Swimming League, Florent Manaudou took home $67,025. During the 2019 ISL first edition, he earned $58,700.
Likewise, competing in the 2013 World Aquatic Championship swimming, he earned $15,000 combined from two events.
Similarly, in the 2015 world championship edition, he took home $60,000 combined after winning gold in 3 different events.
In addition, Manaudou earned a $30,000 bonus for setting a world record in 50m backstrokes.
Furthermore, the French government awarded him $61,500. Likewise, after winning two silver medals in Rio Olympics, he earned $44,000 combined.
Endorsement
First of all, Florent Manaudou is represented by Britain marketing company Pimento.
During the Puma 2019-20 season, Marseille German company signed him alongside Dimitri Payet as one of its new brand ambassadors.
Puma hosted Talk Sports with World’s fastest man Usain Bolt and other French Puma athletes in the event.
In November 2019, he signed a sponsorship deal with the Italian company Team Arena Elite for Tokyo Olympics.
Since then, Manaudou has been wearing their swimwear and equipment during events and competitions.
Previously, he had tied deals with Australian company Speedo in 2013. They even renewed his contract after he retired and pursued his career in handball.
Likewise, in 2012 he tied a deal with an American company. Since then, he has appeared in his home county in various commercials to promote their products.
Similarly, after agreeing on an endorsement deal with Ice watch in 2013, he has already released limited edition watches collaborating with them.
Furthermore, alongside his sister Laura he has been in various advertising campaigns for DIM Paris.
Recently, in 2021 Manaudou was announced as one of the six french athletes to become Cupra brand ambassador. They were signed considering the 2024 Paris Olympics.
According to various online sources, Manaudou estimated net worth is around $1.5 million.
Florent Manaudou | Social Media Presence
Instagram: 279k Followers
Twitter: 70.9k Followers
Facebook: 235k Followers
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will Florent Manaudou compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics?
On 5 July, France Swimming Federation announced that Manaudou would compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in 50m freestyle.
In Olympic trials, he won 50m freestyle, finishing with 21.72 seconds. In Tokyo, he wants to spend a third successive podium finish.
When did Florent Manaudou retired from swimming?
Manaudou announced his retirement through Facebook after the 2016 Rio Olympics after failing to win a gold medal.
Later, he joined France professional club to pursue his career in handball. However, he returned to swimming in 2019.
How much weight can Florent Manaudou bench press?
Florent has various records of bench press. Currently, he has the bench press record of 165lbs.
