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Alain Bernard has competed for France Alain Bernard has won 2 gold medals at the Olympic Games Alain Bernard has won 1 silver medal at the Olympic Games Alain Bernard has won 1 bronze medal at the Olympic Games

Alain Bernard is a swimmer who has competed for France. He competed at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games. He won a total of four medals throughout his Olympic career, including an individual gold in the men's 100 metres freestyle at Beijing 2008. He also attained the world record after winning the 2008 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands with a time of 47.50.

Beijing 2008[]

At the French Championships, Bernard qualified for the Olympic Games in Beijing in the 50 m freestyle (with a time of 21.69) and 100 m freestyle (47.82).

Before the relay, Bernard taunted the American swimming squad. He and the rest of his French team ended up in second place behind the American team by 0.08 of a second. Coming through the anchor leg with a commanding lead slightly less than a bodylength, Bernard was caught in the final strokes by Jason Lezak, whose anchor leg of 46.06 seconds was the fastest relay time in the event's history.

The close defeat left Bernard "wounded," according to his coach[1]; however, he rebounded to claim the Olympic title in the men's 100 metre freestyle final, with Lezak tying his position with Brazil's César Cielo Filho for the bronze. Bernard became only the second Frenchman to win the gold medal in swimming, after Jean Boiteux dominated the 400 metres freestyle at Helsinki 1952. He also finished third in the 50 m freestyle final behind Cielo and his compatriot Amaury Leveaux, producing two medalists for the French swimmers in the final for the first time in history.

He has a shark tattoo on his right hip.

London 2012[]

Bernard failed to qualify for the 50 and 100 metres freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, finishing only fifth in both events during the French Championships four months earlier. He competed at his second Games as a member of the men's 4x100 metres freestyle relay team for France, swimming only during the heats. With the Frenchmen beating the Americans for their first-place triumph, Bernard became the first Frenchman to have received two gold medals in swimming.[2][3]

Olympic Results[]

Year Event Rank
2008 Men's 50m freestyle Bronze
Men's 100m freestyle Gold
Men's 4x100m freestyle relay Silver
2012 Men's 4x100m freestyle relay Gold

2008[]

Discipline Round Time
50 metres freestyle Heats 21.78
Semifinal 21.54
Final 21.49
100 metres freestyle Heats 47.85
Semifinal 47.20 WR
Final 47.21
4x100 metres freestyle relay Heats 3:12.36
(Reserve)
AR
Final 3:08.32
(46.73 split)
AR

2012[]

Discipline Round Time
4x100 metres freestyle relay Heats 3:13.38
(48.31 split)
Final 3:09.93
(Reserve)

Service in the French Gendarmerie[]

Bernard has been a volunteer in the Gendarmerie since 2008 and was until recently attached to the Groupement blindé de gendarmerie mobile based in Versailles-Satory in the Yvelines department.

References[]

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