On Thursday, May 22 Yannick Agnel announced he had signed with Mulhouse Olympic Natation, one of France’s most well-known and successful clubs and home of National Team Director Lionel Horter.
Agnel trained in Nice under Fabrice Pellerin from 2007 until 2013 when he abruptly left to work with Bob Bowman at North Baltimore. Although still attached to Nice during the French National Championships at Chartres in April, Agnel and Bowman spent the week prior to the meet working out at Mulhouse. Which club Agnel would eventually represent, therefore, was the subject of much speculation during French Nationals.
Given his choice to train at Mulhouse in April, Thursday’s announcement comes as no surprise. Mulhouse is a storied club whose past champions include Laure Manaudou, Amaury Leveaux, Roxana Maracineanu, Aurore Mongel, and Sébastien Rouault. Located in Alsace, on the French-German border, the club boasts a recently renovated training center with a brand new outdoor Olympic pool, as well as indoor facilities,
weight rooms, saunas, Jacuzzis, etc.
In a press release Agnel mentioned the top-of-the-line facilities, the expertise of the coaching staff, and the club’s athletic vision as motivating factors in his decision. That, and the warm reception he and Bowman were given in April made him choose Mulhouse as his home club when in France.
seems like a conflict of interests to me! not sure that would be kosher in the usa.
Because?
because Lionel is also the head of the Federation and arranged the whole NBAC thing for Yannick. that would not fly in the USA. conflict of interests….
I actually thought I read at one time that France (Lionel’s blessing) is paying for Yannick to train here? now he gets Yannick’s points and doesn’t really train him.
I understand what you mean but there’s no problem with that here.