Turbulence Hits Manaudou`s Beijing Hopes

Her success in the water has often been overshadowed by personal dramas.

Few swimmers have experienced the highs and lows faced by France's Laure Manaudou since the Athens Olympics.

The 21-year-old has won Olympic, world and European gold medals and set world records to confirm her reputation as one of the greatest female middle-distance swimmers of all time.

But her success in the water has often been overshadowed by personal dramas.

In May 2007, she announced she was parting company with Philippe Lucas, who had been more than a coach to her for six years, and moving to Italy to be near her boyfriend, Luca Martin.

She joined the LaPresse Nuoto Club in Turin but the club fired her three months later, citing attitude problems, and she later broke up with Marin.

She returned to France, briefly training with her brother before Lionel Horter took over as her coach. Then naked photos of her appeared on the internet.

It was not long before her performances began to slip.

She suffered her first defeat in nearly four years in the 400 when she finished third at this year's French championships and lost her world record to Italian Federica Pellegrini at the European championshipss.

Manaudou had already qualified for the 400 in Beijing but threw away her chance of entering the 200 when she pulled ouf the event at the French championships, even though she still holds the world record.

She did qualify in the 100 and 200 backstroke, giving her three individual races to contest in Beijing.

She burst on to the international stage at the 2004 European championships in Madrid when she won three gold medals before claiming the 400 metres freestyle title at the Athens Olympics.

She also won a silver in the 800 freestyle and a bronze in the 100 backstroke and instantly became one of the hottest properties in French sport.

A year later, in Montreal, she won her first world title before, in 2006, breaking Janet Evans's 400 freestyle world record which had stood for 18 years.

She won four gold medals, all in individual events, at the 2006 European championships in Budapest ad was named as the outstanding female swimmer at the 2007 world championships in Melbourne after collecting five medals.

She successfully defended her 400 title, then broke the 200 freestyle world record to win that event, finished second in the 800 freestyle and 100 backstroke, and won a bronze in the 4x200 relay.