After more than thirteen years with Nice Côte d’Azur Athlétisme, the pole vaulter from Nice, Margot Chevrier, has decided to change clubs. Since moving to Gironde in November 2023, the athlete has chosen to join Stade Bordelais starting from the 2026 season.
The pole vaulter from Nice, Margot Chevrier leaves Nice Côte d’Azur Athlétisme. Having been with Nice Côte d’Azur Athlétisme since September 2012, Margot Chevrier has decided to join Stade Bordelais. She has been living in Gironde since November 2023, where she is coached by Damiel Dossevi. She wanted to represent a club closer to her home.
Margot Chevrier is turning a page. Settled in Bordeaux since November 2023, the pole vaulter decided to continue her medical studies and join her then-partner, middle-distance runner Gabriel Tual. She wanted to represent a club closer to her home. Therefore, she leaves the Nice Côte d’Azur Athlétisme, where she had been licensed since September 2012.
In this Bordeaux context, Margot Chevrier announced her club change with a personal message: “New year, new health (hopefully!!), new club. After 13 years of athletics, and 13 years with Nice Côte d’Azur Athletisme NCAA, it is time to turn the page and begin the next chapter with Bordeaux Athle. Same desire, same ambition, same Josie (the name she gave to her injury, Ed.): new colors. Thank you Nice, thank you Niçoise people. I will always be Niçoise at heart and soul, don’t panic.”
Born in Nice, the 26-year-old pole vaulter has built a significant part of her athletic journey on the Côte d’Azur. Triple French outdoor champion, Margot Chevrier has been one of the recognized figures in French women’s pole vaulting for several seasons. Leaving the Nice club marks the end of a cycle started in her adolescence.
A career hindered by a major injury
Her sports trajectory came to a sudden halt in the spring of 2024. Suffering from an open ankle fracture in March 2024 during the final of the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Margot Chevrier is still trying to regain her best form. This serious injury occurred during a landing from a jump, leading her to withdraw from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A dream that vanished.
Although conditionally qualified by the French Athletics Federation, the decision was made to take no risks. The reason was clear. The Niçoise had to clear a bar of 4.50 m before July 21 to secure qualification. This objective was not attempted for fear of worsening the injury and jeopardizing a young career. Despite several months of intensive rehabilitation at CERS in Capbreton, the bar remained too high for the five-time French champion. With a record of 4.70 m, the medal would have been hard to achieve. The unfulfilled dream of competing in the Olympics at home has left a lasting scar.
Margot Chevrier returned to competition in 2025. This comeback is already a first victory after a long period of treatment and re-athleticization.
Bordeaux as a new anchor point
In Bordeaux, Margot Chevrier joins a familiar environment. The athlete now evolves within the same structure as Marie-Julie Bonnin, friend and main sports rival. This move happens in a dynamic sports context for French women’s pole vaulting.
Marie-Julie Bonnin, the junior French champion in 2019, won the silver medal at the European Junior Championships in Borås the same year with a mark of 4.16 m. Marie-Julie Bonnin placed second at the 2022 French Athletics Championships with a personal best of 4.50 m. A few days later, Marie-Julie Bonnin was crowned hope champion of France.
On March 22, 2025, Marie-Julie Bonnin became the first French woman world champion in pole vault during the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Nanjing. On this occasion, Marie-Julie Bonnin broke the French indoor pole vault record and matched the French record of Ninon Chapelle with a jump of 4.75 m. This is something to push the Niçoise to her limits in trying to reach the top again.
Margot Chevrier is thus opening a new chapter in Bordeaux. Stade Bordelais becomes the anchor point for a continued career still under reconstruction. Her journey remains closely followed by the athletics world. The next phase will now unfold in Gironde.
