French Olympic Silver Medallist Mehdy Metella Retires
French swimmer Mehdy Metella, a two-time Olympian and Olympic silver medallist, has announced his retirement at age 34.
French swimmer Mehdy Metella has announced his retirement from competitive swimming at the age of 34. The two-time Olympian shared the news on social media.
He started competing at six years old. The swimmer said the sport taught him resilience and shaped his life. He expressed gratitude to his family, coaches, teammates, and supporters.
Olympic and World Championship Success
Metella won an Olympic silver medal at the Rio 2016 Games. He led off the French men's 4x100m freestyle relay team that finished second behind the United States. In the same Olympics, he placed sixth in the 100m butterfly final. That race was famously won by Singapore's Joseph Schooling, with Michael Phelps, Laszlo Cseh, and Chad le Clos tying for silver.
His success extended to the World Aquatics Championships. Metella earned four long-course world medals. Three of those were in relay events.
| Event | Year | Medal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x100m Freestyle Relay | 2015 | Gold | Led off the winning French squad |
| 100m Freestyle | 2017 | Bronze | Behind Caeleb Dressel and Nathan Adrian |
| Other Relay Medals | Various | Two medals | Details not specified in source |
European and Short-Course Achievements
On the continental stage, Metella collected seven European Championship medals. This haul included two relay titles. He also secured world and European titles in short-course competition, though the source does not list specific years or events for these.
He is the younger brother of Malia Metella, herself an Olympic and world medallist. His retirement post reflected on the long journey. "Twenty-eight years of pools, training sessions, early mornings, competitions, victories, defeats, doubts, and pushing my limits," he wrote.
A Final Farewell
In his social media statement, Metella described the pool as a second home. He acknowledged there were times he wanted to quit but always returned. "Today, I leave with a mix of emotions, but above all, with immense gratitude," he said.
The swimmer concluded his message by looking ahead. "I don't know what comes next yet," Metella stated. He signed off by referencing the six-year-old boy who first dove into a pool, saying that part of him will always remain. His final words were: "One last race. One last lap. And above all… thank you for everything."
