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Fantine LESAFFRE
Sport Swimming
NOC France   
GenderWomen
Born10 Nov 1994 in Roubaix, FRA
Height1.80 m
 Human Interest 
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
Wolfpack Elite [USA] / Cercle des Nageurs d'Antibes [FRA]:
Name of coach
Braden Holloway [Wolfpack Elite]
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Police Athlete
Languages
French
Residence
United States
General Interest
Famous relatives
Her father Patrice was a member of the French swimming team, and her uncle Bruno Lesaffre represented France in swimming at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Her partner Nicolas D'Oriano represented France in swimming at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 13 Dec 2021; lavoixdunord.fr, 24 Jul 2016; lemonde.fr, 20 Jul 2019; Instagram profile, 20 Nov 2021)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
"I came to competitive swimming late, at age 14. I really became interested after watching the 2012 Olympics in London where a Chinese swimmer, Ye Shiwen, smashed the world record in the 400m individual medley. That inspired me to try the event."
When and where did you begin this sport?
She first learned to swim as a toddler. "When I was age two or three, my father was a lifeguard and my grandparents had swum at my first club, so it's a family thing. My father threw me in the pool and I learned fast."
General Interest
Other information
STRESS MANAGEMENT
She credits her victory in the 400m individual medley at the 2018 European Championships to a number of factors, including improved stress management at major events. "Lots of things fell into place [in 2018], above all my management of stress has changed. Honestly I don't really know how, but I managed to get a handle on my stress at international competitions, and that's when things started to happen." (rmcsport.bfmtv.com, 23 Apr 2019; lavoixdunord.fr, 10 Dec 2018)

MEDLEY PREFERENCE
She says she likes the versatility of the medley events. "It is often said that swimmers do not choose our main speciality, it's the speciality that chooses us. In my case I practised breaststroke before taking up the medley events. However, I have the skill of knowing how to swim correctly in all four strokes. When I began competing in medley events it went well, with good results. But what I love the most is the versatility that the mix of strokes offers in terms of endurance, speed and transitions as well. Besides, I get bored very quickly during training if I do the same thing all the time. As I'm a medley swimmer I don't work the same stroke every day, and that's really what I like." (dicodusport.fr, 09 Jul 2020)

TATTOO PASSION
She has a passion for tattoos, an interest she developed at a young age. "That comes from my mother who has tattoos and piercings from head to toes. During my childhood I was with her in tattoo shops and I got hooked into this world. While I was in the waiting room I would look at all the photographs. I was always impressed and just wanted to have one since I was 10 years old." She got her first tattoo, a lizard, on one of her feet. She then had a phoenix tattooed on her right side, her left arm covered with different designs including the Olympic rings, and a valkyrie image on her left thigh. "The phoenix represents my childhood and my biological mother. The valkyrie represents femininity and women's power. Everybody says that once you get your first tattoo that it becomes an addiction and we cannot stop, and that's exactly what happened. I have ideas for all of my body and I don't know when I will stop." (beinsports.com, 11 May 2020)

OCCUPATION
She is a non-commissioned officer in the French gendarmerie [police]. (lessor.org, 23 Jul 2021)
Hero / Idol
Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu, US swimmer Katie Ledecky. (lemonde.fr, 20 Jul 2019)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (lemonde.fr, 20 Jul 2019)
Awards and honours
A swimming pool in Roubaix, France, is named after her and her grandmother Danielle. (lemonde.fr, 20 Jul 2019)
Further Personal Information
Family
Partner Nicolas D'Oriano
Sport Specific Information
Training Regime
In 2022 she began training at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, United States of America.

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2021 Tokyo, JPN 400m Individual Medley 4:41.98
21 2021 Tokyo, JPN 200m Individual Medley 2:14.20
Heats 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 400m Individual Medley 4:44.47
Heats 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 200m Individual Medley 2:15.71
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2023 Fukuoka, JPN 200m Individual Medley 2:13.28
Heats 2023 Fukuoka, JPN 400m Individual Medley 4:42.07
8 2019 Gwangju, KOR 400m Individual Medley 4:39.68
Semifinal 2019 Gwangju, KOR 200m Individual Medley 2:12.18
Heats 2015 Kazan, RUS 400m Individual Medley 4:46.06
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2018 Hangzhou, CHN 200m Individual Medley 2:08.27
3 2018 Hangzhou, CHN 400m Individual Medley 4:27.31
Heats 2018 Hangzhou, CHN 200m Breaststroke 2:25.07
Heats 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 400m Individual Medley 4:38.18
Heats 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 200m Individual Medley 2:12.46
27 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 400m Freestyle 4:12.91 
European Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
1 2018 Glasgow, SCO 400m Individual Medley 4:34.17 
5 2018 Glasgow, SCO 200m Individual Medley 2:11.71
Heats 2018 Glasgow, SCO 200m Breaststroke  DNS
Heats 2016 London, ENG 400m Freestyle 4:16.39
Heats 2016 London, ENG 1500m Freestyle 16:38.84
Heats 2016 London, ENG 200m Butterfly 2:19.24
Heats 2014 Berlin, GER 200m Individual Medley 2:17.15
Heats 2014 Berlin, GER 200m Breaststroke 2:34.79
Heats 2014 Berlin, GER 400m Individual Medley 4:46.47
European Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2017 Copenhagen, DEN 200m Breaststroke 2:27.92
3 2017 Copenhagen, DEN 400m Individual Medley 4:30.68
5 2017 Copenhagen, DEN 200m Individual Medley 2:08.83
Heats 2017 Copenhagen, DEN 200m Backstroke 2:12.37
Heats 2013 Herning, DEN 200m Breaststroke 2:33.08
Heats 2013 Herning, DEN 100m Breaststroke 1:11.39
Heats 2013 Herning, DEN 200m Individual Medley 2:16.70
Heats 2013 Herning, DEN 400m Individual Medley 4:41.93
World Cup Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
8 2013 Doha, QAT 200m Breaststroke 2:32.49
6 2013 Eindhoven, NED 400m Individual Medley 4:40.59