Glasgow (AFP)

More than three years later, and seven months away from the 2020 Olympics, where he dreams of reclaiming gold in the 50m, Florent Manaudou returns his blue jersey to the European Short Course Swimming Championships, from Wednesday to Sunday in Glasgow ( Scotland).

Manaudou's last appearance in the French team, which has just turned 29, dates back to August 2016, when he lost in the Olympic final of 50m in Rio, for a hundredth, to the benefit of the American Anthony Ervin (21.41 against 21.40).

In the meantime, the 2012 Olympic champion of the one-way first left the pools, for two and a half years, including handball. Before heading out again eight months ago, at the beginning of April, and impressing for his only big-time competition since, at the end of June in Rome, completing the 50m in 21 sec 72 with only ten weeks of training in the arms and legs.

"The last time I came here, I had a different accreditation, a media accreditation," Manaudou, who served as a TV consultant at the European Long Course Championships in Glasgow on Tuesday, told a news conference. summer 2018.

"It's nice to be back here and compete in this pool," he adds.

- On 50 m Friday -

In individual, it will be necessary to wait until Friday to see him dive, on 50 m, his favorite race, of which he holds the world record in basin of 25 m since 2014 (20.26). Then he will start the 50 m butterfly the next day, and is also registered on 50 m back, scheduled Sunday.

Before that, he could swim in relay, but not Wednesday, the 4x50 m men tricolor not being engaged.

What goals does he have in mind, eight months after resuming training between Antalya, Turkey, where is based James Gibson, the British coach who led him to Olympic gold in 2012, and Marseille, where supervises Julien Jacquier?

"Try to take a lot of fun, and I hope to swim fast, and faster and faster, I will try to improve my best time of the season," says Manaudou, who is multiplying the races this fall, meetings of the International swimming league (ISL) between the beginning of October and the end of December, professional circuit launched outside the bosom of the International Federation (Fina), at the French Championships in the 25m pool in December (12-15) in Angers, via Glasgow.

- "You're a fish again" -

For now, his best time of the year on 50 m in small pool is 20 sec 57, made ten days ago in London. It makes Manaudou, whose sensations in the water "come back" gradually, the best performer in the world of the season.

"A few days ago in Marseille, Julien (Jacquier) told me:" That's it, you're starting to become a fish again, "he told AFP in early October. made me happy because (until then) I was very dense, very heavy in the water, not very flexible, I've never been, but I was even less so ... "

"When I started again, I put too much strength, because that's where I'm good, but I still did not have the feeling and the sensations I had before. ", he described, estimating that he had gained" flexibility of everything, shoulders, ankles, pelvis ... ".

In Scotland, Manaudou is the leader of a French delegation of nineteen swimmers, including Jérémy Stravius, David Aubry, Clément Mignon and Béryl Gastaldello. But without Mehdy Metella, touched on one shoulder, nor Charlotte Bonnet, who preferred to make the impasse.

© 2019 AFP