Olympic gold medallist Florent Manaudou returns to swimming

In this Aug.8, 2015 file photo, France's Florent Manaudou leaves the pool after winning the gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle final at the Swimming World Championships in Kazan, Russia. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

PARIS -- Olympic gold medallist Florent Manaudou is making a comeback to swimming with the aim of competing at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

The Frenchman, who won the 50-meter freestyle title at the 2012 London Olympics, took a 2 1/2-year break from swimming to focus on handball.

Manaudou told L'Equipe newspaper he is missing high-level competition and that he is "excited to swim again and compete with the best."

The 28-year-old Manaudou, a silver medallist in the 50 free at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, will be trained by his former coach James Gibson.

During his break, Manaudou has also played a small role in a TV series and invested in a restaurant in Marseille named "The Swimming Pool."