According to the website of the monthly French entertainment and cinema magazine, Première, Mattel - the makers of toy which first saw the light of day back in 1959 - have announced the launch of a new Barbie in the image of the 24-year-old with the release set for June 2011.
As far as the toy company is concerned the choice of Manaudou was an easy one as she "embodies the values advocated by the famous doll; namely those of effort, the desire to test limits and achieve her dreams."
"Vindication," wrote the weekly French magazine Paris Match, for a woman who left her sport prematurely in 2009 at the ripe old age of 22 after a glittering career which included titles at Olympic, world, European and national levels.
At her very best. Manaudou sets World record 200 metres freestyle, Melbourne, 2007 (screenshot from WCSN, WCSN.com video)But it was also one which included several disastrous personal and sporting decisions including a break with her long-time coach Philippe Lucas, a move to Italy to train with her then-boyfriend Luca Marin, a highly-publicised split with him a few months later and the appearance on the Internet of a compromising video of the couple.
Manaudou currently lives in the United States with her partner, French swimmer Frédérick Bousquet (who was in the news last week following the disclosure of his two-month suspension from competition after having inadvertently used a haemorrhoid cream containing the banned substance heptaminol) and their six-month-old daughter Manon.
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