France wins its first Olympic sailing medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The duo Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon won the bronze medal this Friday, August 2 , at the end of the 49er FX Medal Race. Sarah Steyaert, after a five-year break from top-level sport, and Charline Picon, double Olympic champion in RS windsurfing, threw themselves into a demanding new discipline and managed to reach the podium.
Charline Picon (39) and Sarah Steyaert (37), nicknamed "the Mama Team", proved that experience and determination can overcome any challenge. Well-ranked after the first twelve qualifying heats, the two sailors finished a long way back in the medal race, a final that brings together the top ten overall and counts double, but finally snatched the podium on the waters of the Marina de Marseille.
The Medal Race, originally scheduled for Thursday, was finally held on Friday. Before the start, the French were two points ahead of the Dutch and seven ahead of the Swedes, with the Norwegians and Germans not far behind. This Friday, August 2, despite a fickle wind, they managed to salvage bronze. Charline Picon achieved a monumental feat by winning another medal in another discipline with the 49er, a 4.99 m boat with wings on either side.
After the Tokyo Games, where she won silver in RS, the Olympic champion had to give up her favourite discipline due to the evolution of windsurfing towards foiling. In three years, she had to learn all the rudiments of the 49er FX, a craft on which she had never set foot before 2021. For this mission, Charline was able to count on another mother: Sarah Steyaert. Back from a second pregnancy and settled into her life as a schoolteacher, the Rochelaise came out of her sporting retirement to take to the sea again. More experienced than her partner in this class of boat, Sarah Steyaert taught Picon all the precepts of the 49er FX.
For both athletes, the challenge was immense. They had to prepare for the Olympics in three years, in a class as demanding as the 49er. But in Marseille, the sailors beat the odds to take the lead on the eve of the final. Coached by Benjamin Bonnaud since last year, they had built up their confidence by winning silver at the last European championship. Their intensive preparation paid off, enabling them to believe in their potential.
It's a first Olympic medal for Sarah Steyaert and the 3rd for Charline Picon, a performance that demonstrates their determination and talent. Hats off to the Dutch Olympic champions, and congratulations to the "Mama Team" on this fine victory.
