Yannick Agnel Indicted In French Criminal Court For Alleged Sexual Assault of a Minor

A criminal case involving French Olympic champion Yannick Agnel will move forward after he was indicted by a French criminal court on Thursday.

Agnel, 33, was indicted for alleged acts of rape and sexual assault of a minor under 15 years of age, according to The New York Times.

In May 2025, a judge referred Agnel to the Haut-Rhin criminal court in France on the rape and sexual assault charges.

Agnel will reportedly have 10 days from the January 15 ruling to appeal the decision to France’s highest court, the court of cassation. If he appeals, the court would review whether the law was applied correctly, not the facts or merits of the case.

Agnel was first arrested in late 2021 in connection with the case and later acknowledged having a sexual relationship with the minor, while denying any coercion.

The investigation started in the summer of 2021 when the accuser filed a complaint against Agnel, with whom she trained at the Mulhouse Olympic Swimming Club (MON) between 2014 and 2016.

Agnel was 24 at the time of the events that took place in 2016, while the victim was 13.

French law dictates that an adult cannot have consensual sex with somebody under the age of 15. In 2021, the French parliament adopted legislation that characterizes sex with a child under the age of 15 as rape and is punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

A 2022 investigation found that several members of the MON club were well aware of the intimate relationship between Agnel and the victim. The victim is the daughter of Lionel and Marjorie Horter, both members of the club’s management. Lionel Horter also served as Agnel’s primary coach during his time at MON.

A two-time French Olympian, Agnel won three medals at the 2012 Games in London, claiming individual gold in the men’s 200 freestyle and adding a second gold in the men’s 4×100 free relay. He also earned a silver medal after swimming the anchor leg of the French men’s 4×200 free relay.

Agnel also won the world title in the 200 free at the 2013 World Championships, and like the previous year’s Olympics, added a second gold in the men’s 4×100 free relay. He also won silver in the men’s 4×200 free relay at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, where he also broke out by placing 5th in the 200 free in a French National Record (1:44.99).

The following year in London, he clocked 1:43.14 in the 200 free final, which stood as the fastest performance ever in a textile suit until David Popovici clocked 1:42.97 in 2022.

Agnel remains the world record holder in the men’s 400 free in short course meters, having clocked 3:32.25 in November 2012.

He competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, placing 19th in the 200 free before announcing his retirement a few months later.