 |
|
| Marc-Antoine
OLIVIER |
| Sport |
Open Water Swimming |
| NOC |
France
|
| Gender | Men |
| Born | 18 Jun 1996
in Valenciennes, FRA |
| Height | 1.88 m |
|
|
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|
|
Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Italy |
Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
Dunkerque Natation: France |
Name of coach |
Fabrizio Antonelli [personal], ITA, from 2021 |
Further Personal Information |
Languages |
French |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began swimming at age seven in Denain, France, and took up open water swimming at age 15. |
Why this sport? |
His father and brother were both swimmers. Once he joined a prospects training centre in Rouen, France, he was invited by coach Eric Boissiere to try open water swimming. "I liked the adaptation aspect and the strategy game of open water swimming. It is not always the best swimmer who wins, but who plays better his options." |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Marco (bfmtv.com, 16 Aug 2016) |
Ambitions |
To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and to become Olympic champion in open water swimming. (lequipe.fr, 10 Oct 2021; ffnatation.fr, 20 Nov 2017) |
Sport Specific Information |
Training Regime |
He trains at the High Performance Training Centre in Ostia, Italy. |
General Interest |
Injuries |
In December 2017 he sustained a fracture in his sacrum bone [base of spine] while competing at the 2017 World Military Championships. (lemonde.fr, 16 Jul 2019; clicanoo.re, 31 Dec 2017)
He sustained an injury to his bicep muscle at the beginning of the 2017/18 season. The injury forced him to stop training for two months. (lavoixdunord.fr, 30 May 2018; lemonde.fr, 15 Jul 2019)
His training was disrupted ahead of the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, after he was diagnosed with a bone marrow oedema in his left foot two weeks before the start of the competition. He went on to win two gold medals and a bronze at the championships. (dicodusport.fr, 19 Aug 2017, 05 Dec 2017; fina.org, 01 Dec 2017) |
Awards and honours |
He was named 2020 Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year by the swimming news website SwimSwam. (swimswam.com, 15 Dec 2020)
He was named 2017 Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year by the European Swimming League [LEN]. (swimswam.com, 22 Jan 2018)
He was presented with the 2017 International Swimming Federation [FINA] Best Male Open Water Swimmer Award. (fina.org, 02 Dec 2017)
He was named Knight of the Order of Merit by the French government in 2016. (legifrance.gouv.fr, 01 Dec 2016) |
Other information |
COACH CHANGES
After placing sixth in the 10km event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he parted ways with his long-time coach Philippe Lucas. He initially began working with French coach Fred Vergnoux in the Canary Islands, Spain, after meeting Vergnoux at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. However, a few weeks later he changed his mind and relocated to Ostia, Italy, to begin training with Italian coach Fabrizio Antonelli. "The conditions were not easy [in Spain with Fred Vergnoux]. There were just three swimmers in the team and I couldn't be training all year long in such a small group." (bestswimming.swimchannel.net, 13 Oct 2021; as.com, 10 Sep 2021; lequipe.fr, 10 Oct 2021; ffnatation.fr, 04 Sep 2021)
FOLLOWING LUCAS
In 2015 he relocated to Narbonne, France, to train under the guidance of French coach Philippe Lucas. "My results were not good enough. I knew I had the level but could not do something big. It was when I began training with Lucas that I started telling myself that I could reach the highest level." In 2017 he again followed Lucas when the coach relocated from Narbonne to Montpellier, France. (dicodusport.fr, 05 Dec 2017; midilibre.fr, 12 Dec 2017) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning gold in the 5km event at the 2012 European Junior Championships in Kocaeli, Turkey. (sport24.lefigaro.fr, 16 Jul 2019) |
Milestones |
He became the first French male open water swimmer to win a world title when he claimed gold in the 5km open water event at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. (SportsDeskOnline, 05 Jun 2018; fina.org, 01 Dec 2017)
His bronze medal in the 10km event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro was France's first Olympic medal in open water swimming. (SportsDeskOnline, 05 Jun 2018) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"I want to make history in my sport." (sport24.lefigaro.fr, 16 Jul 2019) |
Other sports |
He represented France in swimming at the 2021 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary. (SportsDeskOnline, 10 Dec 2021) |
Famous relatives |
His partner Oceane Cassignol has represented France in open water swimming, and won gold as part of the 5km mixed relay team at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. (lavoixdunord.fr, 28 May 2020; SportsDeskOnline, 20 Oct 2020) |
Further Personal Information |
Family |
Partner Oceane Cassignol |
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 33 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
800m Freestyle |
8:08.54 |
European Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Heats |
2021 |
Budapest, HUN |
1500m Freestyle |
15:30.04 |
| Heats |
2021 |
Budapest, HUN |
800m Freestyle |
DNS |
European Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Heats |
2015 |
Netanya, ISR |
1500m Freestyle |
15:29.56 |
| Heats |
2015 |
Netanya, ISR |
400m Freestyle |
3:52.95 |
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
10km |
1:48:23.6 |
| 2 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
5km |
51:29.6 |
| 6 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
6km - Team Relay |
1:05:05.5 |
| 4 |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
10km |
1:51:11.5 |
| 5 |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
5km |
53:26.0 |
| 4 |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
6km - Team Relay |
|
| |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
25km |
DNF |
| 2 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
10km |
1:47:56.1 |
| 6 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
5km - Team Relay |
54:37.1 |
| 1 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
5km |
54:31.4 |
| 3 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
10km |
1:51:59.2 |
| 1 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
5km - Team Relay |
54:05.9 |
| |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
25km |
DNF |
| 6 |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
10km |
1:50:06.4 |
| 11 |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
5km - Team Time Trial |
56:50.9 |
European Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 3 |
2022 |
Rome, ITA |
5km |
52:20.8 |
| 2 |
2022 |
Rome, ITA |
10km |
1:50:37.3 |
| 2 |
2021 |
Budakalász, HUN |
5km |
55:45.1 |
| 2 |
2021 |
Budakalász, HUN |
10km |
1:51:41.7 |
| 4 |
2021 |
Budakalász, HUN |
5km - Team Relay |
54:18.7 |
| 7 |
2018 |
Glasgow, SCO |
5km |
53:06.7 |
| 4 |
2018 |
Glasgow, SCO |
10km |
1:49:34.7 |
| 3 |
2018 |
Glasgow, SCO |
5km - Team Relay |
52:46.7 |
| 3 |
2016 |
Hoorn, NED |
10km |
1:55:21.6 |
| |
2014 |
Berlin, GER |
5 km |
DSQ |
| 6 |
2014 |
Berlin, GER |
5km - Team Time Trial |
56:39.8 |
World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 5 |
2023 |
|
10km |
|
| 8 |
2023 |
Funchal, POR |
10km |
1:45:16.7 |
| 9 |
2023 |
Golfo Aranci, ITA |
10km |
1:48:59.5 |
| 10 |
2022 |
|
10km |
|
| 2 |
2022 |
Eilat, ISR |
10km |
1:46:43.4 |
| |
2022 |
Lac-Mégantic, QC, CAN |
10km |
DNF |
| |
2022 |
Setúbal, POR |
10km |
DNF |
| 1 |
2021 |
|
10km |
|
| |
2021 |
Abu Dhabi, UAE |
10km |
DSQ |
| 1 |
2021 |
Doha, QAT |
10km |
1:52:02.4 |
| 1 |
2021 |
Eilat, ISR |
10km |
1:49:13.2 |
| 1 |
2021 |
Ohrid, MKD |
10km |
1:54:54.6 |
| |
2020 |
|
10km |
|
| 1 |
2020 |
Doha, QAT |
10km |
1:49:46.6 |
| 17 |
2019 |
|
10km |
|
| 1 |
2019 |
Beau Vallon, SEY |
10km |
1:56:02.00 |
| 4 |
2018 |
Abu Dhabi, UAE |
10km |
1:53:01.9 |
| 20 |
2017 |
|
10km |
|
| 4 |
2017 |
Abu Dhabi, UAE |
10km |
1:45:55.1 |
| |
2017 |
Lac St. Jean, QC, CAN |
10km |
DNF |
| 1 |
2016 |
Abu Dhabi, UAE |
10km |
1:47:39.60 |
| 2 |
2015 |
Nouméa, NCL |
10km |
1:56:56.20 |
| |
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