At 19, Quentin Rakotomalala, originally from Marseille and bronze medalist in men’s synchronized swimming at the European Championships, was able to change mentalities about this sport practiced mainly by girls. He dreams of participating in the next Olympic Games, for the first time in mixed, and uses his new notoriety to encourage other boys to dive into the deep end. Encounter.
A dozen girls, all aged 10, train in the basin of the Yves Blanc swimming pool, in Aix-en-Provence. The huge speaker spits lively music. At the edge of the pool, a boy: Quentin Rakotomalala. The young man distills his advice and notes the choreography of his swimmers, before their synchronized swimming competition of the weekend.
It was by observing his older sister that he launched himself, at the age of 9, into a discipline largely dominated by girls and gave up swimming. “ At first the girls were a bit skepticalremembers the young man. They were like, “But what is he doing there, he took the wrong course, he must be on the next line, because it’s not the right line! Here, we do synchro, not swimming!”. They were asking questions. After the second lesson, it was immediately better. And then it was normal. »
Alone on the podium
Between two competitions, Quentin Rakotomalala, 19, is taking a BTS in communication. But it is in synchronized swimming that he progresses the fastest: eight times champion of France in men’s solo. But very often, he is the only boy to participate in the tests. And so, the only boy to climb on the podium during the medal ceremony. “ We do not savor a podium in the same way when we are both first and last “, he observes.
Last year at the European Championships held in Rome, he won the bronze medal, challenged prejudice and gained credibility. “ In people’s eyes, I was more of an athlete than a synchro swimmer who went to the pool for fun, says Quentin Rakotomalala again. I was really seen as an accomplished athlete, who gets results, who performs well and less like the athlete who gets into synchro because he likes it, or because he wants to wade through the water. »
A role model for other boys
Above all, Quentin Rakotomalala becomes a role model for other boys. “ There are some little boys who send me messages, who say to me “what you are doing is great, it motivates me for the future, it makes me want to continue and go as far as you”. So it’s nice to hear that, because I tell myself that I’m part of their source of motivation, of what makes them want to do this. I also show that it is possible, that they may have their chance in this sport and that if they like it, they must give themselves the means to be able to perform and achieve good results afterwards. »
Results soon possible at the Olympic Games. In Paris, in 2024, men will be able to participate in mixed events: a maximum of two men in teams of eight, a first since the discipline was introduced at the Olympic Games in 1984. A very good news “says Quentin Rakotomalala. But there is a downside:It’s a bit late for all the nations to do that now, because we’re a year away from the Games and the teams are preparing two or three years before. The choreographies are put together without thinking of putting a boy or two in choreographies. »
Participation in the Paris Olympics therefore seems complicated, but he hopes that his turn will come to Los Angeles in 2028. In the meantime, the young man dreams of joining Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, like Guillaume Beaufils, one of his models. in men’s synchronized swimming. In any case, he will remain one of the pioneers of this discipline in France. It is perhaps there, his greatest victory.