France at the 2012 Summer Olympics
France competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, between 27 July and 12 August 2012. French athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era. The French Olympic Committee sent a total of 330 athletes to the Games, 183 men and 147 women, to compete in 24 sports.
France left London with a total of 34 medals—11 gold, 11 silver, and 12 bronze—finishing seventh in the gold medal standings and eighth in the overall medal standings. Most of these medals were awarded to the athletes in judo, cycling and swimming. Six French athletes won more than a single Olympic medal in London. France's team-based athletes proved successful at these games, as the men's national handball team and the women's national basketball team won gold and silver medals, respectively. Furthermore, the men's national handball team managed to defend its 2008 Olympic title from Beijing. For the first time since 1960, France did not win an Olympic medal in fencing.
Among the nation's medalists were Yannick Agnel and Camille Muffat, who emerged as France's most successful Olympic swimmers after winning three medals, including a gold, in their events. Meanwhile, Florent Manaudou succeeded his sister Laure with an Olympic gold medal in freestyle swimming. Renaud Lavillenie set a new Olympic record in the pole vault, becoming the third French man to claim the title, and the first to do so since 1996. Tony Estanguet won his third gold medal in the men's slalom canoeing singles, making him one of the most successful French athletes in Olympic history. On 11 August 2012, Estanguet was elected to the IOC Athletes' Commission, along with three other athletes.
Medalists
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
| Camille Muffat | Swimming | Women's 400 m freestyle | ||
| Amaury Leveaux Fabien Gilot Clément Lefert Yannick Agnel Alain Bernard Jérémy Stravius | Swimming | Men's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | ||
| Yannick Agnel | Swimming | Men's 200 m freestyle | ||
| Tony Estanguet | Canoeing | Men's slalom C-1 | ||
| Lucie Décosse | Judo | Women's 70 kg | ||
| Émilie Fer | Canoeing | Women's slalom K-1 | ||
| Teddy Riner | Judo | Men's +100 kg | ||
| Florent Manaudou | Swimming | Men's 50 m freestyle | ||
| Renaud Lavillenie | Athletics | Men's pole vault | ||
| Julie Bresset | Cycling | Women's cross-country | ||
| France national men's handball team | Handball | Men's tournament | ||
| Céline Goberville | Shooting | Women's 10 m air pistol | ||
| Camille Muffat | Swimming | Women's 200 m freestyle | ||
| Amaury Leveaux Grégory Mallet Clément Lefert Yannick Agnel Jérémy Stravius | Swimming | Men's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay | ||
| Grégory Baugé Michaël D'Almeida Kévin Sireau | Cycling | Men's team sprint | ||
| Germain Chardin Dorian Mortelette | Rowing | Men's coxless pair | ||
| Michaël Llodra Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Tennis | Men's doubles | ||
| Bryan Coquard | Cycling | Men's omnium | ||
| Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad | Athletics | Men's 3000 m steeplechase | ||
| Grégory Baugé | Cycling | Men's sprint | ||
| Anne-Caroline Graffe | Taekwondo | Women's +67 kg | ||
| France women's national basketball team | Basketball | Women's tournament | ||
| Priscilla Gneto | Judo | Women's 52 kg | ||
| Automne Pavia | Judo | Women's 57 kg | ||
| Ugo Legrand | Judo | Men's 73 kg | ||
| Gévrise Émane | Judo | Women's 63 kg | ||
| Coralie Balmy Charlotte Bonnet Ophélie-Cyrielle Étienne Camille Muffat Margaux Farrell Mylène Lazare | Swimming | Women's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay | ||
| Audrey Tcheuméo | Judo | Women's 78 kg | ||
| Delphine Reau | Shooting | Women's trap | ||
| Julien Benneteau Richard Gasquet | Tennis | Men's doubles | ||
| Jonathan Lobert | Sailing | Finn class | ||
| Hamilton Sabot | Gymnastics | Men's parallel bars | ||
| Steeve Guénot | Wrestling | Men's Greco-Roman 66 kg | ||
| Marlène Harnois | Taekwondo | Women's 57 kg | ||
| Emmanuel Biron Christophe Lemaitre Pierre-Alexis Pessonneaux Ronald Pognon Jimmy Vicaut | Athletics | Men's 4 × 100 m relay |
1.Competed in preliminaries but not the final relay.
2.In May 2014, the US 4 × 100 metres relay team member Tyson Gay received a one-year suspension for anabolic steroid use and was stripped of his medals after 15 July 2012 when he first used. In May 2015, the IOC wrote to US Olympic Committee telling them to collect the medals from teammates Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Ryan Bailey, Jeffery Demps and Darvis Patton. Two of Gay's teammates who ran with him in the final, Kimmons and Bailey, had previously also served suspensions. The medals were reallocated, with Trinidad and Tobago awarded silver, and France taking bronze.
on 13 August 2012.
Delegation
The French Olympic Committee selected a team of 330 athletes, 183 men and 147 women, to compete in 24 different sports; it was the nation's third largest team outside the host nation, and the first with the highest percentage of women in Olympic history. France did not qualify teams in field hockey, volleyball and water polo, but did mark its Olympic return to men's basketball after a twelve-year absence.The French team included past Olympic champions, three of them defending. Equestrian eventing rider Denis Mesples, at age 49, was the oldest athlete of the team, while gymnast Anne Kuhm was the youngest, at age 15. Pistol shooter and former Olympic gold medalist Franck Dumoulin made his sixth appearance, having participated at every Summer Olympics since 1992. Épée fencer and multiple-time Olympic medalist Laura Flessel-Colovic, meanwhile, became the first French female athlete to compete at five separate Olympic Games. Because of her repeated successes in fencing, Flessel-Colovic became France's first female flag bearer at the opening ceremony since 1996.
Other notable French athletes included slalom canoer and multiple-time world champion Tony Estanguet, judoka and Olympic bronze medalist Teddy Riner, swimmer and junior European champion Yannick Agnel, pole vaulter and multiple-time European champion Renaud Lavillenie, and basketballer Tony Parker, who had previously played for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs.
The following table lists the number of French competitors who participated in each Olympic sport. Note that reserves in fencing, field hockey, football, and handball are not counted as athletes.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
| Archery | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Athletics | 31 | 21 | 52 |
| Badminton | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Basketball | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Boxing | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Canoeing | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| Cycling | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| Diving | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Equestrian | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Fencing | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Football | 0 | 18 | 18 |
| Gymnastics | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Handball | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| Judo | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Modern pentathlon | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Rowing | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Sailing | 9 | 7 | 16 |
| Shooting | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| Swimming | 18 | 13 | 31 |
| Synchronized swimming | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Table tennis | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Taekwondo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Tennis | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Triathlon | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Weightlifting | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Wrestling | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Total | 183 | 147 | 330 |
Archery
France qualified three archers for the men's individual event, an archer for the women's individual event and a team for the men's team event:Athletics
French athletes achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events :;Men
;Track & road events
displayed his gold medal in men's pole vault.
;Field events
;Combined events – Decathlon
| Athlete | Event | 100 m | 400 m | 1500 m | Final | Rank | |||||||
| Kevin Mayer | Result | 11.32 | 7.17 | 14.05 | 2.05 | 48.76 | 15.59 | 41.20 | 4.70 | 62.41 | 4:23.02 | 7952 | 15 |
| Kevin Mayer | Points | 791 | 854 | 731 | 850 | 873 | 780 | 689 | 819 | 774 | 791 | 7952 | 15 |
;Women
;Track & road events
;Field events
;Combined events – Heptathlon
| Athlete | Event | 200 m | 800 m | Final | Rank | |||||
| Marisa De Aniceto | Result | 13.74 | 1.71 | 13.09 | 25.26 | 5.76 | 51.98 | 2:16.20 | 6030 | 21 |
| Marisa De Aniceto | Points | 1015 | 867 | 733 | 863 | 777 | 899 | 876 | 6030 | 21 |
| Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida | Result | 12.96 | 1.80 | 14.26 | 24.72 | 6.13 | 55.87 | 2:13.62 | 6576 | 6 |
| Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida | Points | 1130 | 978 | 811 | 913 | 890 | 974 | 912 | 6576 | 6 |
Badminton
Basketball
The French men's basketball team qualified for the 2012 Olympics by reaching the final of the EuroBasket 2011. The French women's team qualified through the World Qualification Tournament.- Men's team event – 1 team of 12 players
- Women's team event – 1 team of 12 players
Men's tournament
;Group play
;Quarter-final
Women's tournament
;Roster;Group play
;Quarter-final
;Semi-final
;Final
Boxing
France qualified boxers in the following events:;Men
Canoeing
Slalom
France qualified boats for all slalom events:Sprint
France qualified boats for the following sprint events:;Men
;Women
Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final ; FB = Qualify to final B
Cycling
Road
;Men;Women
Track
;Sprint;Team sprint
;Keirin
| Athlete | Event | 1st round | Repechage | 2nd round | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Rank | Rank | Rank | Rank |
| Mickaël Bourgain | Men's keirin | 1 Q | 4 | 8 | |
| Clara Sanchez | Women's keirin | 6 | 1 Q | 2 Q | 4 |
;Omnium
Mountain biking
BMX
Diving
France qualified five quota places for the diving events:;Men
;Women
Equestrian
Dressage
France qualified a single quota by rankings:Eventing
France qualified one team and five quota places in the individual event after finishing in second place at the 2011 European Eventing Championships.Show jumping
France qualified one team and four quota places in the individual event after finishing in second place at the World Equestrian Games.Fencing
France qualified 11 fencers.;Men
;Women
Football
- Women's team event – 1 team of 18 players
Women's tournament
;Group play
;Quarter-final
;Semi-final
;Bronze medal game
Gymnastics
Artistic
;Men;Team
;Individual finals
;Women
;Team
;Individual finals
| Athlete | Event | Apparatus | Apparatus | Apparatus | Apparatus | Total | Rank |
| Athlete | Event | Total | Rank | ||||
| Aurélie Malaussena | All-around | 13.800 | 12.800 | 12.066 | 11.500 | 50.166 | 23 |
Rhythmic
Trampoline
Handball
participated in the 2012 Olympics as the defending world men's handball champion, and successfully defended its gold medal from the 2008 Summer Olympics. The French women's team qualified through the World Qualification Tournament.- Men's team event – 1 team of 14 players
- Women's team event – 1 team of 14 players
Men's tournament
;Quarter-final
;Semi-final
;Final
Women's tournament
;Group play;Quarter-final
Judo
;Men;Women
Modern pentathlon
France qualified one man and two women.Rowing
France qualified boats for the following rowing events:;Men
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A ; FB=Final B ; FC=Final C ; FD=Final D ; FE=Final E ; FF=Final F ; SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Sailing
France qualified one boat for each of the following events:;Men
;Women
;Fleet racing
;Match racing
;Open
M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race;
Shooting
France earned 14 quota places for the shooting events at the 2012 Olympics:;Men
;Women
Swimming
French swimmers achieved qualifying standards in the following events, and one at the Olympic Selection Time ):;Men
;Women
Synchronized swimming
France qualified two Olympic quota places in synchronized swimming.Table tennis
France qualified one man and two women.Taekwondo
France had qualified two places in women's taekwondo.Tennis
France qualified six Olympic tennis players in 2012: four in the men's events and two in the women's events. France ultimately won two medals – one silver and one bronze – in the men's doubles.;Men
;Women
Triathlon
France qualified the following triathletes:| Athlete | Event | Swim | Trans 1 | Bike | Trans 2 | Run | Total Time | Rank |
| David Hauss | Men's | 17:24 | 0:38 | 58:50 | 0:29 | 29:53 | 1:47:14 | 4 |
| Vincent Luis | Men's | 17:20 | 0:38 | 58:53 | 0:27 | 31:00 | 1:48:18 | 11 |
| Laurent Vidal | Men's | 17:27 | 0:43 | 58:42 | 0:28 | 30:01 | 1:47:21 | 5 |
| Emmie Charayron | Women's | 19:48 | 0:39 | 1:06:58 | 0:34 | 34:27 | 2:02:26 | 18 |
| Jessica Harrison | Women's | 18:39 | 0:43 | 1:06:16 | 0:31 | 35:13 | 2:01:22 | 9 |
| Carole Péon | Women's | 19:30 | 0:45 | 1:07:11 | 0:33 | 35:59 | 2:03:58 | 29 |
Weightlifting
France qualified three men and one woman.Wrestling
France qualified six quota places:;Men's freestyle
;Men's Greco-Roman
;Women's freestyle