French Olympic swimmer Yannick Agnel is poised to go to trial on charges of rape and sexual assault involving the 13-year-old daughter of his former coach, as disclosed by the prosecutor general’s office in Colmar.
The investigative chamber of the Colmar appeals court has mandated the 33-year-old to face trial, given that he was an adult when the alleged incidents occurred. Agnel has a window of 10 days to contest this ruling at France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation.
Agnel was taken into custody in December 2021. While he acknowledged a relationship with the underage girl, he refuted any claims of coercion.
The reported occurrences trace back to 2016, when the girl was 13 years old and Agnel was 24, spanning various locations including Mulhouse, Rio de Janeiro during the Olympics, Spain, and Thailand, according to French judicial authorities.
Agnel, a double gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics in the 200m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay, concluded his competitive swimming career in 2016.
France’s legislation in 2021 now deems any sexual involvement with individuals under 15 as rape, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, bringing the nation in line with several other Western countries.