Awards
Olympic Games
COlympic champion in Athens 2004
11th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
World Championship
Mistral windsurfing world vice-champion in 1999 and 2001
Third RS:X windsurfer in 2006 and five times Mistral windsurfer in 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1998
4th in RS:X in 2008
European Championship
Mistral windsurfing European vice-champion in 2003
Third RS:X windsurfer in 2008 and Mistral windsurfer in 2004 and 2003
When and where was your first regatta?
I took part in my first regatta in the autumn of 1992 at the age of 14, which was rather late for a start in competitive windsurfing. It was in Brest harbor, under a strong gust of wind. I was so focused on my board that when the races were over, I didn't even know how many competitors I had. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that I'd won when I got back to shore. We'd all been brought ashore by the famous barge.
The tactical move you're most proud of?
During the 2004 Olympic Games. In the middle of the regatta on the last race of the day, the wind becomes rather uncertain and the pattern of the day changes abruptly. I was among the last to windward. I thought for a few seconds that the medal had just passed me by. Then I saw an opportunity with the wind coming in from the opposite direction, and I seized it, finishing3rd in the heat.
Your biggest problem?
Day1 of the 2008 Olympics: I arrived at the slipway with my rig for the1st race, and to my surprise, I couldn't find my board. A competitor had taken it by mistake. I get it back less than 5 minutes before the start...2nd race of the day, at the last leeward passage I'm forced inside. In doubt, I repair on the last tack. I carry out a repair survey on the way back to shore. And another surprise of the day: while I'm recovering with the physio, I'm told I'm going before the jury for a late repair claim! A black day for the1st day of the Olympics.
The race anecdote that always makes you laugh?
Cadet World Championship in 1994 in the Tiga Aloha in Brest: At the head of the heat, I lost a shoe on the broadside. I stop and turn around to go back for it. The trainer is tearing his hair out on the boat. Then, as I can't get it back on the1st try, I tell myself I can finish the heat without it 😉 . I still win the championship with a new pair of booties!