star
Camille
Lacourt
Swimming, success and style
C
amille Lacourt is one of the best backstroke swimmers in the history of French swimming. He has been crowned national, European, and world champion multiple times, is at the top of his field and draws admiring glances for his handsome looks and sculpted physique. He is the ambassador for several luxury brands but this young father, who loves surfing and travel, is no slave to his image. We caught up with him between a competition in Tahiti and a photoshoot for Blush. Meets with the icon of the swimming pool. By Laure Delvigo - Photo by Olivier Rieu
With his slightly Scandinavian looks, this native of the southwest town of Narbonne began swimming at the age of five. His sporting talent, boosted by his physical attributes (2.0 metres tall at a weight of 85 kilos), really blossomed at 16 when he won the bronze medal at the French junior championships. He then won the French 100 metres and 200m titles in 2005 and left his home town to begin a successful partnership with Philippe Lucas, the mentor of French swimming superstar Laure Manaudou. The pool at Cannet-en-Roussillon is synonymous with exacting and interminable training sessions. Lacourt recalls “two great, very hard, years” under the watchful eye of Lucas for whom he retains a high profes siona l a nd per sona l regard: “I have great memories of this character, as a coach. I really like Philippe. He is someone I war med to ver y much and it was a great group, despite the tough training because we really did swim a lot. We did less weights than in
Marseille. It wa s di f ferent, we clocked up a lot of k ilomet res i n t he w at er a nd I wasn’t used to that, so it w a s ne w a nd v er y h a r d .” His efforts paid off because he won two French senior longcourse titles and snapped up the national 50m backstroke record as well. He broke into the French national team but injury prevented him from taking part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was determined to bounce back and so he left Luca s’ group to train in the ‘Cercle des nageurs’ group in Marseille under the tutelage of Romain Bar nier. The sessions were more geared towards physical work and the weight-training seemed to suit him. Lacourt marked his return to the pool in 20 0 9 -2010 by becoming European champion in Budapest in the 100m backstroke, beating the European record in the process and setting the second-fastest time in history over the distance. In 2011 he was voted European swimmer of the year and in
the same year tied for the gold medal in the 100m backstroke at the World Championships in Shanghai with his compatriot Jérémy Stravius. After a mixed London Olympics he took a break which was followed by several years of success. He won the World Championships in Barcelona in 2013 and t wo years later in Kazan, and the European title in London in 2016, all in 50m backstroke. Only the Olympic Games eluded him, leaving him with a feeling of unf inished business, especially when he speaks of his belief that Russian and Chinese competitors at the Rio Games had been doping. “They had no place at the Olympic Games. It was probably not the moment to shout my mouth off, but I still believe what I said!” said Lacourt. With his post-swimming career flourishing, Lacourt is already sketching out what happens and his life as a young father has become “his new priority”: “Being a dad changes everything. It gives you a real goal in life and it’s just extraordi-
nary.” He also knows how to make the most of his image as a model and is the muse for several brands, including Clarins, for whom he has been ambassador since 2011, also Chanel and not forgetting the J12 Chromatic watch. But t he champion remains humble when it comes to his titles and also to his physique. “You are much more beautiful when you win! One year I was fifth at the World Championships and I was not so beautiful then!… The following year, when I won, I was much more beautiful, so … it really made me laugh. So much the better!” he said. The enthusiastic surfer and t r aveller who likes to v isit “Rome, Bali and New York” also dreams of setting up his own company to pass on his passion for swimming to a younger generation, and his experience of high-performance to business seminars. Who says swimmers have a head full of water?
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