SWIMMERS from France

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary French Swimmers of all time. This list of famous French Swimmers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of French Swimmers.

1. Jean Taris (1909 - 1977)

With an HPI of 44.81, Jean Taris is the most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Jean Charles Émile Taris (6 July 1909 – 10 January 1977) was a French swimmer who competed at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1928, he was eliminated in the heats of the 4×200 m freestyle relay and 1500 m freestyle. In 1932 he won a silver medal in the 400 m freestyle, 0.1 seconds behind Buster Crabbe, and finished sixth in the 1500 m freestyle. In 1936 he placed fourth in the 4×200 m freestyle relay and sixth in the 400 m freestyle. Taris was the subject of Jean Vigo's short film Jean Taris, Swimming Champion in 1930. He won two European titles in 1934, and finished second in the 400 m freestyle in 1931, 0.2 seconds behind István Bárány. In 1984 he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. During his career Taris set 7 world and 49 national records, and won 34 national titles. He won the Seine river 8 km race four times.

2. Camille Muffat (1989 - 2015)

With an HPI of 37.17, Camille Muffat is the 2nd most famous French Swimmer.  Her biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Camille Muffat (French pronunciation: [ka.mij myfa]; 28 October 1989 – 9 March 2015) was a French swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist. Swimming for the Olympic Nice Natation club, she specialised in the individual medley and the free style events. Her career ran from 2005 to 2014. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she won gold in the 400-metre freestyle, silver in the 200-metre freestyle and bronze in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay, becoming the fourth French swimmer to win an individual Olympic gold medal. She was also the third French athlete overall to win three Olympic medals at a single edition of the Olympic Games. She died in the Villa Castelli helicopter collision, at age 25, during the filming of French TV reality show Dropped for the TF1 network.

3. Alain Bernard (1983 - )

With an HPI of 35.33, Alain Bernard is the 3rd most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Alain Bernard (French pronunciation: [alɛ̃ bɛʁnaʁ]; born 1 May 1983) is a former French swimmer from Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhône. Bernard won a total of four medals (two golds, one silver, and one bronze) at two Olympic Games (2008 and 2012). He also won numerous medals at the World Championships (short course and long course) and European Championships (short course and long course). Bernard formerly held the world record for the 50 metres freestyle (long course) and the 100 metres freestyle (long course and short course). Bernard has a shark tattoo on his right hip.

4. Florent Manaudou (1990 - )

With an HPI of 34.52, Florent Manaudou is the 4th most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Florent Manaudou (French pronunciation: [flɔʁɑ̃ manodu]; born 12 November 1990) is a French competitive swimmer, an Olympic champion of the 50-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics, and the younger brother of Laure Manaudou, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist in swimming. He competes for the Energy Standard Swim Club in the International Swimming League.

5. Yannick Agnel (1992 - )

With an HPI of 32.80, Yannick Agnel is the 5th most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Yannick Agnel (born 9 June 1992) is a French former competitive swimmer who specialized in freestyle events, and is a three-time Olympic medalist. In his Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he won gold in the 200-meter freestyle, gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He is the current world record holder in the 400-meter freestyle (short course), the European record holder in the 800-meter freestyle (short course), and the national record holder in the 200- and 400-meter freestyle (long course). Agnel's success earned him Swimming World's European Swimmer of the Year award in 2012.

6. Frédérick Bousquet (1981 - )

With an HPI of 32.51, Frédérick Bousquet is the 6th most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Frédérick Bousquet (French pronunciation: [fʁe.de.ʁik bu.skɛ], born 8 April 1981 in Perpignan) is a retired freestyle and butterfly swimmer from France. He was the holder of the world record in the 50 m freestyle in a time of 20.94 in long course, set on 26 April 2009 at the final of the French Championships. Since the record was swum in a banned, performance-enhancing suit it remained in limbo whether the record stood until FINA approved it in July following a modification of his suit. He is the first swimmer to go under the 21-second mark in this distance. He previously held the record in the 50 m short course in a time of 21.10, set in 2004 at the Men's NCAA Division One Swimming and Diving Championships, for over two years. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome Bousquet competed in the 50 and 100 free, capturing a silver in the 50 and bronze in the 100. Bousquet did not qualify for the 2012 Olympics but his ex-partner Laure Manaudou and his brother-in-law Florent Manaudou did.

7. Amaury Leveaux (1985 - )

With an HPI of 30.52, Amaury Leveaux is the 7th most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Amaury Raymond Leveaux (born 2 December 1985) is a French swimmer from Delle, Territoire de Belfort. Leveaux is a former world record holder in the 100 m freestyle (short course – 44.94 sec), the 50 m freestyle (short course – 20.48 sec), and the 50 m butterfly (short course – 22.18 sec). He also formerly held the national record in the 200 m freestyle (long course – 1:46.54).

8. Camille Lacourt (1985 - )

With an HPI of 28.96, Camille Lacourt is the 8th most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Camille Lacourt (French pronunciation: [kamij lakuʁ]; born 22 April 1985) is a retired French competitive swimmer and backstroke specialist. He won the 50 metre backstroke at three consecutive world championships (2013 Barcelona, 2015 Kazan, and 2017 Budapest). He competed at the 2012 Olympics in the 100 metre backstroke and finished fourth. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, he finished fifth in the same event.

9. Fabien Gilot (1984 - )

With an HPI of 25.75, Fabien Gilot is the 9th most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Fabien Pierre Aurélien Dominique Gilot (born 27 April 1984) is a French Olympic and world champion swimmer.

10. Jérémy Stravius (1988 - )

With an HPI of 25.24, Jérémy Stravius is the 10th most famous French Swimmer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Jérémy Stravius (born 14 July 1988) is a French swimmer, swimming freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.