French double Olympic champion Agnel faces rape trial after appeal rejected

Yannick Agnel won 2 Olympic golds successful swimming for France astatine the 2012 Summer Games successful London.

French treble Olympic swimming golden medallist Yannick Agnel volition look proceedings connected charges of rape and intersexual battle of a 13-year-old miss aft his entreaty was rejected connected Thursday.

In May, the Frenchman’s lawyers appealed the determination for the 33-year-old to look the charges but the appeals tribunal successful Colmar, northeast France, turned down the assertion and ordered the proceedings to spell ahead.

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Agnel, who won 2 golds astatine the 2012 London Games, is suspected of having had a narration with the girl, who was past 13, successful 2016.

Agnel has ever insisted the narration was consensual and loving.

According to prosecutors, the events successful question took spot betwixt December, 31, 2015 and August 31, 2016 successful assorted locations including Mulhouse, Thailand and Tenerife.

The probe led to the indictment of the swimmer 5 months later, successful December 2021.

Agnel has ever denied helium had immoderate power implicit the teenager.

The nationalist authoritative astatine the time, Edwige Roux-Morizot, considered “the facts represent rape and intersexual battle owed to the property difference, due to the fact that the justness strategy considers that determination is genuine motivation duress”.

In July 2024, the swimmer, who had retired successful 2016, attended a gathering with his accuser, present successful her aboriginal 20s, that helium had requested.

Agnel came to planetary prominence astatine the 2010 European championships erstwhile helium won golden successful the 400 metres freestyle, mounting a caller French and title record.

Two years later, helium starred astatine the London Olympics erstwhile helium took golden successful the 200m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relay arsenic good arsenic metallic successful the 4x200m freestyle relay.

He collected golden medals successful the aforesaid 2 events successful the 2013 satellite championships.

Agnel qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics to support his 200m freestyle rubric but failed to get done the heats and announced his status from swimming soon after.