Yannick Agnel to Stand Trial for Rape of a Minor

Former Olympic swimming champion Yannick Agnel will be tried for rape before the criminal court of Haut-Rhin, the public prosecutor of Mulhouse announced on Thursday, May 15. The prosecution had requested the referral in March, and the investigating judge confirmed it four months after the end of the inquiry.

A Disputed Relationship with a 13-Year-Old Girl

The case dates back to 2016, when Agnel, then 24, was training at the Mulhouse Olympic Natation club and living with his coach Lionel Horter. He allegedly had a relationship with Horter’s daughter, who was just 13 at the time. The young woman, now 21, filed a complaint in the summer of 2021. Agnel has acknowledged the relationship but maintains that it was “consensual and romantic,” denying any abuse of authority or influence over the minor.

Indicted in December 2021 for “rape and sexual assault on a minor under 15,” Agnel is now being prosecuted for acts said to have occurred in Mulhouse, Riedisheim, Thailand, Tenerife, Sierra Nevada, and Rio. However, the court dismissed separate allegations involving sexual assault against another minor over the age of 15.

A Fallen Champion, Still Presumed Innocent

Now 32 and retired from professional swimming since 2016, Agnel remains under judicial supervision and retains the right to appeal the referral decision. He is still presumed innocent at this stage.

Agnel boasts one of the most impressive records in French swimming history, having won two gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics (200m freestyle and 4x100m relay), followed by two world titles in 2013.