Amaury Leveaux: France’s greatest 50m freestyle swimmer
Amaury Leveaux is one of the most astounding and talented freestyle sprinters France has produced. Leveaux has been a dynamic swimmer throughout his career and has represented his country with great enthusiasm at all the international levels of swimming.
He has epitomised France at the international stages of Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships and Mediterranean Games during his career.
Leveaux made a debut to his international career at the 2004 European Long Course Championships, where he earned two bronze medals in the events of 4*100m freestyle and the 4*200m freestyle relay. His contribution in the relay events provided him with great
fame and confidence, as he smashed two medals in his first international championship.
In 2005, Leveaux adopted a gruelling training program to make better improvements in his timings. He improved his arm-stroke and enhanced the reach of his dive to post lower timings. He qualified for the French Swimming Team to compete at the 2005 Mediterranean
Games and represented his country in the events of 200m freestyle, 4*100m freestyle relay and the 4*200m freestyle relay. Leveaux earned the gold medal in the 4*100m freestyle relay with the help of his team members Alain Bernard, Romain Barnier and Frederick
Bousquet in a time of 3:22.95 minutes. He also reached the podium twice for the bronze medal in 200m freestyle and the 4*200m freestyle relay, clocking a time of 1:50.40 and 7:24.20 minutes respectively.
In 2006, the French champion demonstrated his astounding skills at the European Long Course Championships, where he preferred to participate in the individual 100m event instead of the 200m freestyle. The 25-year-old Leveaux won two silver medals in the
100m butterfly and the 4*100m freestyle relay respectively.
After 2006, Leveaux’s performance deteriorated at the international stage of World Long Course Championships. Despite of his qualification in the main events, he remained unsuccessful in reaching the podium in any individual events. He only managed to gain
a bronze medal in the 4*100m freestyle relay at the championship.
In 2008, Leveaux’s performances clouded the podiums of all international stages. He first competed at the European Short Course Championships, where he showered his participation in the events of 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly and the 4*50m
freestyle relay and won gold medals in all of them. His performance at the world level stunned the arena and he won the hearts of crowd.
His wonderful performance at the European Championship qualified him for the French swimming team to compete at the European Long Course Championships in 2008. His performance once again deteriorated and he shattered the crowds’ expectations by failing to
reach the top of the podium in any event. He only managed to win a silver medal in the 200m freestyle event at the competition.
In 2009, once again he competed at the European Short Course Championships, where he occupied two gold medals in the events of 100m freestyle and the 4*50m relay. He also climbed the podium for the bronze medal in the 4*50m medley relay.
The same year at the World Long Course Championships, Leveaux for the first time reached the podium in any individual event. He participated in the events of 50m freestyle and the 4*100m freestyle relay and earned bronze medals in both of them.
During the 2010 Budapest European Championships, he participated in the 4*100m freestyle relay and climbed the podium for the silver medal. Now, Leveaux has been training hard to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games, as he aims to reach the podium once
again at the world’s mega event.
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