From 28 July to 8 August, Marseille will host the ten sailing events of the Olympic Games. What are the chances of medals in the French squad? Tip & Shaft put the question to a number of athletes who have already taken part in Olympic sailing (or who are still active), including Jonathan Lobert (Finn), Pierre Le Coq (windsurfing), Lili Sebesi (49er FX) and Marie Barrué (ILCA 6), as well as Didier Ravon, journalist for Voiles et Voiliers.
“France has never been at the Olympic Games with such a strong team and such a good chance of winning a medal,” says Jonathan Lobert, bronze medallist in the Finn class at the 2012 Olympics. With five medals, including four golds and one silver, the French team came first at the test event held in July 2023 on the Olympic waters in Marseille, making its mark one year ahead of the Games.
Of the ten sailing events, our experts see six medal opportunities. They unanimously consider Laurianne Nolot, the representative in kitesurfing (a new discipline at the Olympics), to be France’s best chance of an Olympic title. French Sailor of the Year 2023, two-time world champion, two-time European champion and winner of the test event in Marseille, the woman from Toulon has won it all and is the favourite for her first Games.
“She’s been unbeatable in recent seasons,” says Marie Barrué, who was in contention for selection for the Olympics in the ILCA 6 (formerly the Laser Radial). “Up to 20 knots of wind, she’s got a level of speed that’s really superior to the others,” adds Pierre Le Coq, bronze medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games in RS:X. As well as her talent, “she’s a hard worker who’s always challenging herself”, says Didier Ravon. Who could challenge her? “The Englishwoman Eleanor Aldridge, who‘s never very far behind,” says Pierre Le Coq. “It remains to be seen how she will cope with the pressure of being favourite for her first Games,” points out Lili Sebesi, a finalist at the last Olympics in Tokyo in the 49erFX.
The quiet strength
of the mixed duo in the 470
His male counterpart in kitesurfing, Axel Mazella, bronze medallist at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and four-time European champion, is also a medal contender according to our experts. “The stronger the wind is, the better he does,” analyses Pierre Le Coq. “And he seems to be at ease on this stretch of water, where he won the test event.” But he does have one serious competitor: Maximilian Maeder from Singapore. “Max is a bit of a UFO: out of the 20 rounds of the world championship in Hyères, he’s won 16, so he’s really strong,” adds the windsurfer. And Jonathan Lobert, Olympic sailing commentator on France Télévisions, adds: “Axel, with his smaller frame than Maximilien – 90 kilos compared to over 100 – could be at a disadvantage in strong winds.”
Another big medal potential is the mixed crew in the 470 made up of Camille Lecointre, double Olympic bronze medallist (with Hélène Defrance in 2016 and with Aloïse Retornaz in 2021) and Jérémie Mion, gold medallist in the 470 at the world championships (with Kevin Peponnet in 2018). “Winners of the test event, this duo has a huge amount of experience,” comments Jonathan Lobert, and “gives an impression of quiet strength,” adds Didier Ravon.
Ravon adds: “They don’t usually get off to a very good start, but they build up power and finish very strongly. Now, the competition is going to be tough with the Spanish, world champions this year, the Swedes, world champions in 2023 and the English, the best nation in the world at the Olympics for the last three campaigns, who we have to watch out for even if they look a little softer this year.” The advantage of the French duo, according to Pierre Le Coq, is that they “know the water like the back of their hand, Jérémie has been training in Marseille for a very long time and Camille moved there four years ago”.
Jean-Baptiste Bernaz,
a medal at last?
In terms of experience, Jean-Baptiste Bernaz, the French representative in the ILCA 7 (ex-Laser) series, does even better, as the man who was crowned world champion in 2022 is about to compete in his fifth consecutive Olympic Games, which he has always finished in the top 8 – his best result being 5th place in Rio. “At the beginning of July, he won the week in Kiel by a landslide and most of his rivals were there, so that’s quite indicative of his current form,” notes Marie Barrué. According to Pierre Le Coq, “JB is one of the most complete, whether in terms of tactics, strategy or experience. Right now, there are two athletes who seem to be a cut above him overall: Australian Matthew Wearn, gold medallist at the 2021 Olympics, and England’s Michael Beckett.”
Jonathan Lobert adds that “we’ll also have to reckon with the German, the Cypriot, the Croatian and the Norwegian. But Jean-Baptiste can clearly go for a medal.” What could behis weak point? “There’s always a day when he misses out, and it’s cost him dearly each time, a medal in Rio and another in Tokyo,” replies Didier Ravon. “That said, he’s worked hard on that mentally. His second handicap is this super-complicated bay of Marseille, which he doesn’t really like and on which you have to be very playful, very opportunistic, to occasionally hit the edges of the frame. Jean-Baptiste likes a relatively healthy tactic, where it’s the speed and the way you feel the little variations in the wind that make you go well.”
Our experts also see a good chance of a medal in the 49er duo of Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin. World champions in March in Lanzarote – a great first for France in this series – and runners-up in the test event a year ago, “this year they’re a bit ahead of the field, having dominated the world championship from the first to the last race,” points out Didier Ravon. “They’ve been sailing together for a very long time and have developed an incredible rapport.” Lili Sebesi adds: “They’ve been through some difficult times over the last two seasons, both of them injured, but they’ve always come back very strong. They can rely on their speed and technique whenever there’s a bit of air. And even though they’re among the heavier crews, they do well in light airs too.”
In iQFoil, the replacement for the RS:X, Nicolas Goyard, winner of the test event, world champion in 2021 and double European champion in 2021 and 2022, also has a chance of a podium finish according to our experts. “He was born with the foil and has developed it enormously, knowing all the subtleties very well,” comments Jonathan Lobert. His rivals include the Italian Nicolo Renna and the Dutchman Luuc Van Opzeeland, “a big guy who goes very hard as soon as the conditions get rough”, adds the latter. For Didier Ravon, “Nicolas Goyard can be rather irregular and often has a bit of trouble finishing, but if it’s breezy he’ll be in the match.“
Noesmoen back in the game
in the match
In the other series, our experts see outsiders capable of springing a surprise, like Hélène Noesmoen, competing in the iQFoil, “who dominated the circuit very early on (triple European champion and world champion in 2021) but then got caught up by the other nations,” points out Jonathan Lobert. “But since her selection was made official, she’s got renewed energy and is back in the game. So anything is possible. Especially “if there’s a week of breeze, conditions in which she’s very strong”, adds Didier Ravon.
In the 49er FX, Charline Picon and Sarah Steyaert, this year’s European runners-up, can perform well in light conditions, according to our contacts. The former was gold medallist in windsurfing at the 2016 Olympics and silver medallist in 2021, before switching to this the skiff with Sarah Steyaert, Laser world champion in 2008. As Lili Sebesi says: “Technically, they‘re going to lack some skills if there’s air. But if there’s little wind or an oscillating breeze, I know that Sarah, who I’ve sailed with, is very comfortable in these conditions”.
As for the Tim Mourniac/Lou Berthomieu duo in the Nacra 17, “they’re a fresh young crew who are going to give it their all and could spring a surprise”, says Jonathan Lobert. The same goes for Louise Cervera in the ILCA 6: “She’s bursting at the seams and has had some great results this year, but it’s still very early days,” says Pierre Le Coq. And Marie Barrué, who was battling with her for the Olympic ticket, added: “By finishing 3rd in the European championship, she proved that she was there in one of the toughest series in terms of density, with 43 nations represented in the major championships, compared with 20 in women’s kitefoil, for example.”
The final word goes to the latter, who believes that the specific characteristics of the Marseilles race zone can reshuffle all the cards: “In summer, you can have anything, from the Mistral coming in with a strong wind, a thermal rising more or less strongly, currents, storms with a very, very oscillating wind. Technically and strategically, these Games are not going to be easy to sail!”
