Alain Bernard
Encyclopedia
Alain Bernard is a French
swimmer
from Aubagne
, Bouches-du-Rhône
.
Bernard won three medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics
. After competing on the silver medal-winning French 4×100 m relay team, Bernard won the gold medal in the men's 100 m freestyle event.
He held the same 100 m freestyle world record after winning the European LC Championships 2008 final in a time of 47.50 seconds on 22 March 2008. He had already beaten the world record the previous day, finishing in 47.60 seconds in the semi-finals. On 23 March Bernard lowered the 50 m freestyle world record to a time of 21.50 but only held the record for four days before being bettered by Australia
n Eamon Sullivan
.
in the 50 m freestyle (with a time of 21.69 s) and 100 m freestyle (47.82 s).
In the 4 x 100 team relay, he and the rest of his French team ended up in second place behind the American team by .08 seconds. Bernard, who was given a lead going into the anchor leg of slightly less than a bodylength, was caught in the final strokes by Jason Lezak
, whose anchor leg of 46.06 seconds was the fastest relay leg in history.
The close defeat left Bernard "wounded," according to his coach. However, he rebounded to win the gold medal in the men's 100 metre freestyle
final, in which Lezak tied for the bronze. Bernard became only the second Frenchman to win a gold medal in swimming, after Jean Boiteux
, who won the 400 m freestyle at the 1952 Helsinki Games
. He also finished third in the 50 m freestyle final behind César Cielo Filho of Brazil and Amaury Leveaux
of France, making it the first time in Olympic history that France
had produced two medallists in a swimming final.
He has a shark tattoo on his right hip.
in the Yvelines
department.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
from Aubagne
Aubagne
Aubagne is a commune located east of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.The French Foreign Legion has its headquarters there...
, Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
.
Bernard won three medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. After competing on the silver medal-winning French 4×100 m relay team, Bernard won the gold medal in the men's 100 m freestyle event.
He held the same 100 m freestyle world record after winning the European LC Championships 2008 final in a time of 47.50 seconds on 22 March 2008. He had already beaten the world record the previous day, finishing in 47.60 seconds in the semi-finals. On 23 March Bernard lowered the 50 m freestyle world record to a time of 21.50 but only held the record for four days before being bettered by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Eamon Sullivan
Eamon Sullivan
Eamon Wade Sullivan is an Australian sprint swimmer.-Career :In April 2002 at the Australian Age Championships, Sullivan won the 50 m freestyle and came second in 100 m in his age group, and swam for Australia at Trans Tasman series with no dramatic result.In April 2003 at Brisbane in the Fisher &...
.
2008 Olympics
At the French Championships, Bernard qualified for the Olympic Games in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in the 50 m freestyle (with a time of 21.69 s) and 100 m freestyle (47.82 s).
In the 4 x 100 team relay, he and the rest of his French team ended up in second place behind the American team by .08 seconds. Bernard, who was given a lead going into the anchor leg of slightly less than a bodylength, was caught in the final strokes by Jason Lezak
Jason Lezak
Jason Edward Lezak is an American Olympic swimmer, winner of 4 Olympic gold medals.He formerly swam for Irvine Novaquatics. He graduated from Irvine High School in 1994, and then from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. He is a member of the Rose Bowl Aquatics swim club...
, whose anchor leg of 46.06 seconds was the fastest relay leg in history.
The close defeat left Bernard "wounded," according to his coach. However, he rebounded to win the gold medal in the men's 100 metre freestyle
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle
The Men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place between August 12 and 14 at the Beijing National Aquatics Center. This swimming event used freestyle swimming, which means that the method of the stroke is not regulated . Nearly all swimmers use the front crawl or a variant...
final, in which Lezak tied for the bronze. Bernard became only the second Frenchman to win a gold medal in swimming, after Jean Boiteux
Jean Boiteux
Jean Boiteux was a French swimmer and Olympic champion.He was born in Marseilles.He competed at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, where he received a gold medal in 400 m freestyle...
, who won the 400 m freestyle at the 1952 Helsinki Games
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
. He also finished third in the 50 m freestyle final behind César Cielo Filho of Brazil and Amaury Leveaux
Amaury Leveaux
Amaury Leveaux is a French swimmer from Belfort. Leveaux is the current world record holder in the 100 m freestyle ) He also holds the 200 m freestyle national record and the European record in the 50 m freestyle...
of France, making it the first time in Olympic history that France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
had produced two medallists in a swimming final.
He has a shark tattoo on his right hip.
Personal bests
| Event | Long course | Short course |
|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle World record progression 50 metres freestyle The first world record in the men's 50 metres freestyle in long course swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation in 1976... |
21.23 | 21.59 |
| 100 m freestyle World record progression 100 metres freestyle The first world record in the men's 100 metres freestyle in long course swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation in 1905... |
46.94 | 45.69 |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:47.81 | 1:46.43 |
Service in the French Gendarmerie
Alain Bernard has been a volunteer in the Gendarmerie since 2008 and is currently attached to the Groupement blindé de gendarmerie mobile based in Versailles-SatorySatory
Satory is an area south of Versailles in France. It is mostly known for its military camp, housing:* Weapon-testing facilities of GIAT Industries* Barracks and facilities for gendarmerie including the GIGN headquarters and the gendarmerie armored squadron...
in the Yvelines
Yvelines
Yvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
department.
See also
- World record progression 100 metres freestyleWorld record progression 100 metres freestyleThe first world record in the men's 100 metres freestyle in long course swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation in 1905...
:fr:Alain Bernard – his entry on French Wikipedia.
External links
- swimrankings.net Bernard, Alain – Swim Rankings by GeoLogix AG, Switzerland. Fiche de Bernard, Website of the sports daily L'ÉquipeL'ÉquipeL'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
. - "Alain Bernard", n°29 on TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"