A mechanical issue prevented the Azurean freediver from resurfacing, and despite the intervention of rescue divers, it was not possible to resuscitate him. Born into a family of swimmers whose father and grandfather were national coaches, he entered the Faculty of Sports in Nice in 1991. Meeting Claude Chapuis and Olivier Heuleu led him to the great adventure of deep freediving.
A prominent figure in the sports community of Nice has passed away, and many personalities immediately paid tribute to this small blond man whose silhouette could be seen around the Port de Riquier, his favored neighborhoods.
His website: https://loic.leferme.free.fr/
REACTIONS
Virginie Rossetti (OGC Nice):
We had met several times…we had a very close mutual friend. He was someone I admired, who lived his passion to the fullest!!
It’s a great shock!
Patrick Allemand (Vice President Region PACA PS):
I am devastated by the news of this tragic loss.
Loïc was a Niçois by adoption, and this term suited him perfectly. He had been completely embraced by the neighborhoods of the port and Riquier where he lived, and where his kindness and simplicity were as great as his talent as a top-level athlete.
By losing a man of this stature, Nice loses one of its sons.
Rudy Salles (Deputy UDF):
Loïc Leferme drew us into the depths of “The Big Blue”. He made us dream, yet his dives made us hold our own breath. It was in attempting to go even further that nature and his own strengths prevented him. I salute this great sportsman, a lover of nature and extreme feats. He will remain in my memory as a man for whom the word “impossible” did not exist.
Jérôme Rivière (Deputy UMP):
I learned just this morning about the tragic disappearance of Loïc LEFERME, quintuple world record holder in absolute deep diving, while he was training with his team in Villefranche sur Mer.
Loïc, whom I had met a few years ago through mutual friends, was a true enthusiast of the aquatic environment. Always in search of pleasure rather than records, he pursued his passion serenely, outside of financial circuits. At least, that’s how I perceived the “fish man” from the bay of Villefranche sur Mer.
I admired him as much for his exceptional human qualities as for his sportsmanship. It’s a great misfortune that strikes his entire family and shakes the world of freediving.
To Valérie, his wife, his two children Inès and Noé, to all his family and friends, I offer my deepest condolences.
