Considered one of the best freestyle swimmers in the world, Marc-Antoine Olivier aims to sweep the board at the Paris Olympics.
Before swimming in all the waters of the world, Marc-Antoine Olivier remains a boy from the north of France. Born in Valenciennes on June 18, 1996, he grew up in the small village of Maresches alongside his big brother Philippe-Alexandre Olivier and his parents. From the age of two, accompanied by his father Philippe, he accompanied the eldest of this family of two to the swimming pool. He stayed more than two hours, every day, near the pools to follow the career of the one who would become his example. However, according to his father, his second son does not like water. He even learned to swim rather late, around the age of six, and stuck to the wall during showers to avoid being splashed in the eyes and hair. At the age of 7, in the Denain club, he took out a license to follow in the footsteps of Philippe-Alexandre, who never hides his pleasure when leaving the pools surrounded by his friends. At 15, this high potential aspires to make a living from swimming. To do this, he does not hesitate to join the Rouen hopefuls center. Fast, but above all very enduring, he discovers open water swimming at that moment. Passionate about nature, he sees a new field to break free from a routine. After obtaining a scientific baccalaureate, in January 2015, his career takes a decisive turn. He joins the emblematic Philippe Lucas in Narbonne. He stays six years with the one who participated in the emergence of Laure Manaudou, with many results in his pocket. Unfortunately, he does not confirm at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where he fails far from the podium (6th place) while he was one of the main favorites. Affected by this bad result, dropped by sponsors, he hesitates to end his career. To rebuild himself in view of the Paris Olympics 2024he went into exile in Italy and answered the call of Italian coach Fabrizio Antonelli. Qualified for his third Olympics, the swimmer really thought he wouldn’t be able to compete. Under threat of suspension for three failures to meet his whereabouts obligations (“no show”) as part of doping controls, the Frenchman was finally cleared in February 2024 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The breaches invoked by World Aquatics did not occur within a twelve-month period. Nothing can now stop him in his dreams of Olympic titles.
What is Marc-Antoine Olivier’s track record?
In adults, he has nearly thirty medals in major championships. He notably won the gold medals in the 5 km open water and the 5 km mixed relay in open water at the World Championships in 2017. More recently, in the 5 and 10 km, he was vice-world champion in Doha (2024). At the Rio Olympic Games (2016), he won bronze in the 10 km.
What is Marc-Antoine Olivier’s salary?
For Olympic athletes, the subject of remuneration can be a handicap. The person concerned admits to being financially balanced thanks to the support of sponsors (EDF, Europ Event, Alcatel Lucent) and public actors (Hauts de France Region). The swimmer has also been under contract with the French Navy since 2018, via the National Center for Sports and Defense program.
What is Marc-Antoine Olivier’s training rhythm?
In his quest for performance, Marc-Antoine Olivier swims an average of 80 to 95 kilometers per week. Beyond this pool work, the athlete nicknamed outboard, because his accelerations in the water are such that he is propelled by his own body, also forces himself to run and do weight training sessions.