Stéphane Lecat

From Openwaterpedia
Inductee (Honor Swimmer) of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
Stéphane Lecat is a nominee for the 2017 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year, part of the WOWSA Awards, an annual recognition of outstanding men, women, performances and offerings around the globe sponsored by the World Open Water Swimming Association
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Stéphane Lecat winning a professional marathon swimming race in Santa Fe - Coronda, Argentina
Stéphane Lecat winning a professional marathon swimming race
Stéphane Lecat winning a professional marathon swimming race
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Stéphane Lecat, an Honor Swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
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Saison 2 of the Tahiti Swimming Experience on 2-8 December 2018

Stéphane Lecat (born 6 August 1971, Nogent-sur-Marne) is a professional marathon swimmer, coach and administrator from France.

Open Water Swimming Highlights

  • He was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2007 as an Honor Swimmer.
  • He was the 2018 recipient of the Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award.
  • He was named as one of the 101 Movers And Shakers In The Open Water Swimming World by the World Open Water Swimming Association.
  • He is the Directeur de L'Eau libre for the Fédération Française de Natation (French Swimming Federation) - Directeur du Développement et des Équipes de France Eau Libre chez Ministère de la Ville, de la Jeunesse et des Sports.
  • He is the National Team Open Water Program Director (Directeur du Développement et des Équipes de France Eau Libre) and is responsible for the administrative work, development and organisation for 41 races every year in France and the preparation strategy for the French National Team’s main international events every year.
  • In the 2017 season, they were the top teams at both the World Championships with 4 gold medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal and the European Championships Juniors with 4 gold medals and 1 bronze medal. His work with the French National Team won medals at all levels of international competition in 2016: young, juniors, and seniors. The medal count was: Olympic Games in Rio 1 bronze medal 10 km men; European Seniors Championships Open Water 2 gold medals and 2 bronze medals; World Juniors Championships Open Water 1 gold medal, 1 silver medal and 1 bronze medal; European Juniors Championships 2 gold medals and COMEN 2 gold medals, 2 silver medals, 1 bronze medal plus top team.
  • He mentored and coached 17 employees of the WYZ Group to complete a 14 km team relay across Quiberon to Belle Ile in western France in 6 hours 15 minutes called the WYZ Swim Challenge.
  • He was the premier professional marathon swimmer in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
  • He was the FINA World Cup Series champion in 1997, 1999 and 2000.
  • He won the 2000 European 25 km (15.5-mile) championship.
  • He won the 15 km (9.3-mile) Mediterranean Championship in 1997.
  • He won the 34 km (21-mile) Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean professional marathon swim in Canada in 1996, 1999, and 2000.
  • He won the Maratón Acuática Internacional Santa Fe - Coronda, a 57 km (35-mile) FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix race held in the Coronda River in Argentina in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000.
  • He won the 42 km (26-mile) Traversée Internationale du Lac Memphrémagog swim in Canada in 1995, 1996 and 2000.
  • He won the 36 km (22.5-mile) Around-the-Island Marathon Swim in Atlantic City, USA in 2001.
  • He won 13 FINA World Cup professional races.
  • He placed third at the 25 km race in the 2001 FINA World Championships in Japan.
  • He won the 2000 European 25 km Championships in Finland.
  • He swam the English Channel in 8 hours 19 minutes on 23 August 2003.
  • He was a 10-time French national champion.
  • He won two Atlantic City Around The Island Swims.
  • He won 17 FINA World Cup events.
  • He won the 25 km race at the 2000 European Championships in Helsinki.
  • He finished second in the 26 km race at the 1997 European Championships in Sevilla, Spain.
  • He finished third in the 25 km race at the 1995 European Championships in Vienna, Italy.
  • He won the bronze medal in the 25 km race at the 2001 FINA World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
  • He won the gold medal in the 25 km race at the 2000 LEN European Championships.
  • He won the silver medal in the 25 km race at the 1997 LEN European Championships in Sevilla, Spain.
  • He won the bronze medal in the 25 km at the 1995 LEN European Championships in Vienna, Italy.
  • He was the 3-time winner of the FINA Marathon Swimming World Cup in 1997, 1998, and 2000.
  • He was the 10-time French national Champion in 5 km, 10 km and 25 km open water swims.
  • He was the bronze medalist in the 1500m freestyle a the 1997 French National Championships.
  • He successfully swam across the English Channel on 23 August 2003 in a time of 8 hour 19 minutes
  • 39 ans, Professeur de Sport (CTS)
  • 9 ans en tant qu’athlète de haut niveau
  • 10 titres de champion de France (5/10/25 km)
  • 3 coupe du monde FINA
  • 3 fois médaillés aux Championnats d’Europe dont 1 titre de Champion d’Europe (2000)
  • Médaillé de bronze aux Championnats du monde 2001
  • 4 ans avec une mission d’entraînement sur le pôle France de l’INSEP (2 sélectionnés aux J.O d’Athènes et une médaille de bronze sur 50NL…1 sélectionné aux Championnats du Monde de Rome sur 5km (6ème); 1 Champion d’Europe Junior sur 5 KM
  • Depuis sept 2006, CTR en Picardie sur une mission de développement
  • He was nominated for the 2021 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Award by the World Open Water Swimming Association.

Coaching Career

  • Lecat was employed by the Ministry of French Sport with responsibility for the development of the swimming in the Picardy Region. He was the head Coach for the Picardy Region Swimming Team and responsible for Swimming Coach Education for new coaches and continuing education for qualified coaches. He coached swimming to Amélie Caze, the 2010 world champion in Modern Pentathlon who qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.
  • Lecat was in charge of the sport class (age group) for the club JNC (Two gold medals (2010) and one in 2011 on the National age group on the 50 and 100 breast (F. Emery)
  • From 2002-2006, Lecat was the National Coach at the National Institute of the Sport, the Expertise and the Performance (INSEP). He coached swimmers to two silver medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, one at the 2005 World Swimming Championships, five gold medals at the European championships (2003-2006), two 2004 Olympic swimmers (Malia Metella and Fabien Horth), several swimmers on the national junior and senior French teams, and one gold medal at the 2002 European Junior Championships in the 5 km distance.
  • Lecat was the featured speaker on open water swimming at the 2018 FINA Swimming Coaches Golden Clinic in China.

Interview and Presentation



Lecat addressing FINA coaches from Tahiti on 8 December 2018

1998 FINA World Championships 25 km Race Results

1 Alexey Akatyev 5:05:42
2 David Meca Medina 5:07:23
3 Gabriel Chaillou 5:07:53
4 Claudio Gargaro 5:09:48
5 Yuri Kudinov 5:12:07
6 Stéphane Lecat 5:14:16
7 Grant Robinson 5:14:40
8 Fabrizio Pescatori 5:16:55
9 Igor Majcen 5:17:09
10 Nicolas Knap 5:22:35
11 Mark Saliba 5:27:54
12 Andre Wilde 5:31:39
13 Nathan Stooke 5:32:21
14 Nace Majcen 5:33:52
15 Liam Weseloh 5:34:53
16 Simon Chocron 5:38:43
17 Chuck Wiley 5:42:32
18 Paulo Torres 5:45:05
19 Alberto Morejon 5:46:11
20 Ryan Coom 5:48:03
21 Serghei Mariniuc 5:52:29
22 Trpimir Kutle 5:54:18
23 Robert Dinka 5:57:26
24 Gareth Fowler 6:05:11
25 Takashi Sugisawa 6:12:37
26 Ákos Győrffy 6:25:55

2021 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Nomination

He was nominated for the 2021 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Award by the World Open Water Swimming Association. The winners and nominees include:

Winner: Paul Georgescu (Romania)
First Runner-up: Neil Agius (Malta)
Second Runner-up: Joel Matos Ortiz (Puerto Rico)
4. Josef Köberl (Austria)
5. Dr. Jaiprakash Duble (India)
6. Pablo Fernández Álvarez (Spain)
7. Stève “Seal” Stievenart (France)
8. Simon Griffiths (Great Britain)
9. Bogusław Ogrodnik (Poland)
10. Joseph Zemaitis (USA)
11. Damián Blaum (Argentina)
12. Florian Wellbrock (Germany)
13. Stéphane Lecat (France)
14. Kristóf Rasovszky (Hungary)
15. Andre Slade (Australia)

External links

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