Here we go! The Sochi Winter Olympics have officially started against a backdrop of controversy, with the opening ceremony kicking off the events. This competition also concerns our department because four athletes will be representing sport from Nice.
Four years ago, the French delegation brought back eleven medals from the Vancouver Olympics, so the goal for the Sochi Games is to beat that previous result.
The Côte d’Azur sporting community counts – across all sports – 250,000 licensed members. Among them, four local athletes are currently in Russia for these Games: Marion Bertrand, Mathieu Faivre, Nastasia Noens, and Tony Ramoin, but let’s not forget the Paralympic pre-selected athlete, Patrice Barattero.
Marion Bertrand will participate in two events, slalom and giant slalom. At 30 years old, she is participating in her first Olympic Games, and her chances of winning medals are slim. However, achieving this lifelong goal is a major accomplishment for the skier from Grasse, and she will give it her all to ensure she has no regrets. And, who knows…
The 22-year-old Niçois, Mathieu Faivre, is also competing in his first Olympic Games. A hopeful in French skiing, Mathieu did not set out to qualify for the Olympics at the beginning of the season, but his strong performances in giant slalom have allowed him to raise his goals. He is not expected to perform in Sochi, and his selection for the Games is already a victory. A cherry on top?
Nastasia Noens is the real medal hope for sport from the Côte d’Azur. The Niçoise is stringing together good performances and, if she has a good day, she could even aim for the podium. At 25 years old, she will be the best representative of the French team in slalom and can rely on her experience gained in the 2010 Vancouver Games.
As for Tony Ramoin, he made a splash in 2010 by finishing third on the podium in Vancouver in boardercross. A truly unexpected performance for the 21-year-old, who had never been on a senior podium! Now 25 years old, he is returning from a serious ligament injury that kept him off the slopes for six months. He appears as an outsider and could very well replicate the same feat as four years ago…
The Olympic and Sports Committee of the Alpes-Maritimes has wished its athletes good luck, who can take inspiration from the “Team 06” of Yannick Agnel and Camille Muffat and their golden fate two years ago in London.
