A once-untouchable Olympic hero has now become the center of one of the most disturbing scandals in international sports.
French swimming icon Yannick Agnel, a double gold medalist and former national star, has been formally charged with rape and sexual assault over alleged acts involving his former coach’s daughter — who was just 13 years old at the time.
Agnel, now 33, will stand trial in France after prosecutors confirmed the case has been sent forward because he was an adult during the alleged abuse. He has just 10 days to appeal the decision to France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation.
According to investigators, the alleged relationship began in 2016, when Agnel was 24 and still competing at the elite level. The girl was the minor daughter of his former coach — a detail that has intensified outrage across France.
Judicial officials say the alleged abuse was not limited to a single location. Authorities claim incidents occurred across multiple countries, including Mulhouse, France, where Agnel trained, Rio de Janeiro during the Olympic Games, as well as Spain and Thailand — painting a picture of an alleged pattern that followed the swimmer around the globe.
Agnel was first arrested in December 2021. At that time, he reportedly admitted to having a relationship with an underage girl but denied any form of coercion. His legal representatives have not responded to requests for comment following the latest court ruling.
The allegations have sent shockwaves through the swimming world. French sports newspaper L’Équipe reports that multiple swimmers — both active and retired — have already been questioned as part of the investigation, suggesting the case may extend far beyond a single accused athlete.
Agnel became a household name after winning two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, dominating the 200-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. He retired from professional swimming in 2016, the same year the alleged abuse is said to have occurred.
The case also intersects with a major shift in French law. In 2021, France passed a historic reform setting the age of consent at 15. Before that change, prosecutors were required to prove coercion to secure a rape conviction involving minors. Under the updated law, sexual acts involving children under 15 are automatically classified as rape and can carry prison sentences of up to 20 years.
Once celebrated as a national sports hero, Agnel now faces the possibility of spending decades behind bars — as France prepares for what could become one of the most explosive abuse trials in Olympic history.
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