While the best swimmers of France are preparing to compete in the Championships of France, this Thursday in Angers, a member of the team of France announces ending her career. Fantine Lesaffre, 28, announced in a message published on social media on Wednesday that her life "as a swimmer and high-level athlete is coming to an end." Less than ten months before the Paris Olympics.
European champion in the 400m medley in 4, the Frenchwoman, who was now training in Toulouse, explains that she no longer wants to put up with the constraints of a high-level athlete's life.
"This decision may seem bizarre, rash or selfish in this Olympic year, but believe me," she wrote. Swimming requires a lot! Time, sacrifices, effort... An Olympic year requires 10 times more. You have to be ready to be above the rest, to do more than the girls next door, more time, more effort, more sacrifices. The last few weeks have made me realize that this is no longer what I want. »
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"Glad I made this decision before it's too late"
Having played for clubs in Roubaix, Mulhouse, Rennes, Marseille and Antibes, Fantine Lesaffre says she is "happy to have made this decision before it was too late". "Not many athletes have the chance to decide when to stop. And I do it according to my choices, my desires. No failures, no crying spells or anxieties, but with a smile on your face! That smile that characterizes me so much," she continues.
Selected for the Olympic Games in Rio and then the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the swimmer seemed to be heading for a new participation in the Games, this time in Paris. Still holding the France record in the 400m medley (4′4"34), and champion of France 17 times (26 titles in large pool, 18 in short pool), the Northerner finally bows out.
Several members of the France swimming team have already welcomed his message published on social networks. Her teammate Charlotte Bonnet wrote: "Proud of you, of your career, of the woman you are."