Olympic gold medalist charged with raping coach's 13-year-old daughter

Former French Olympic swimmer Yannick Agnel, a two-time gold medalist, has been ordered to stand trial in France on charges of rape and sexual assault involving the underage daughter of his former coach, according to prosecutors.

The alleged abuse dates back to 2016, when Agnel was 24 and the girl was 13. Prosecutors say the incidents occurred while he was training in Mulhouse, France, again during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics that summer, and later in Spain and Thailand. Agnel won two gold medals at the London 2012 Games and retired from competitive swimming in 2016.

French media report that Agnel was arrested in 2021 following the passage of a law classifying any sexual contact with a child under the age of 15 as rape, regardless of claims of consent. Authorities said the charges were pursued on the basis of the age gap and the power imbalance involved. Although Agnel says the relationship was not forced, he was charged nonetheless.

“The facts constitute rape and sexual assault due to the age difference, because the justice system considers that there is genuine moral duress,” public prosecutor Edwige Roux-Morizot said at the time.

Agnel unsuccessfully appealed the charges last year and will now face trial. French press reports also indicate that he requested a meeting with the victim in 2024, by which point she was in her 20s.