EA Athletes Committee member Renaud Barral, 38, was a pioneer male artistic swimmer for Belgium and helped end the 23-year absence of his country from international events. He had top 10 finishes in world and European mixed duet and men’s solo events before retiring in 2024.
How did you get into the sport?
I was born at Toulin in France but then I lived in Belgium. While I was in Liege my sister Nancy was part of a synchro show at the pool where we swam – and it was like love at first sight.
When I was around 12 years old I started to join a few of the training sessions she was doing. My sister didn’t stick to the sport; but I never left!
Did you have any inspirational figures who encouraged you in the pursuit of your sport?
When I started I was not much influenced by models. But then I as I got more involved I started to look at all the great athletes and I grew up very fond of Virginie Dedieu from France and Spain’s Gemma Mengual.
What have been the main challenges in your career?
it was very hard to be an athlete in Belgium because we don’t have all the facilities that you can find in France or Spain or in other big sports countries.
What about your career so far gives you most satisfaction? What have been the high points?
I was one of the first male artistic swimmers in Belgium. I think there were no male Belgians in synchro for 23 years before my international career began.
I think I was also the first male artistic swimmer from Belgium to go to the World Championships, which I did in 2023 and 2024. So just being able to perform on an international platform was a highlight.
At the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka we fought very well – Lisa Ingenito and I were seventh in the mixed duet free.
Internationally I did two years of mixed and one of solo. In terms of European Championships I did Rome 2022 and Belgrade 2024 and also the 2023 European Games in Krakow.
How difficult did you find it being an athlete who has just finished their competitive career – how easy was it to find a new direction?
It was kind of like a clear process. I think the preparation for finishing was the most difficult part. My goal was to be able to do mixed events at the LA 2028 Olympics. I really wanted to keep going until that, but when they announced the LA programme and it did not have mixed duet that was why I swam solo the last year.
And at that point I also decided to go back to university. So I had my last competitive swimming at the 2024 European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade.
In the autumn of 2024 I started my course in psychology at the Haute école Léonard de Vinci. I do three years there before going on to study for three further years at university.
Why did you decide it was worth making the effort to give back to sport in the way you are doing and what are your ambitions for it as an Athlete Committee member?
I was feeling like I was not done. And what I knew best at that time was how to be an athlete, so I think it was my way of saying, ‘OK, I want to still be involved in the sport and I think I will start in an area which I know the best.’
What are you doing now in your Athletes Committee role?
One of the things is that I am accessible to athletes, I would say. I have good relationships with athletes from different countries. I have a chance to get information about the sport for younger athletes coming through.
And with Emma (Garcia) we have been advocating a lot for the Apnea time limit for senior athletes.
Another part of the role is to be able to take care of the athletes when they are competing, to help them with anything they need help with, such as the timing of sessions or the location of warm-up facilities.
I will be Athlete Committee representative at an event for the first time in June when I attend the EA Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Munich.
What are you doing elsewhere in your life in terms of work/study/interests?
I do some volunteering at a medical centre that is targeting a specific audience that is LGBTQIA+ people. It’s a sector where we have GPs, nurses and psychologists.
Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics
