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Fencer Saoussen Boudiaf and gymnast Kaylia Nemour have one thing in common: they were born and trained in France and defend the colors of their homeland in a discipline that is rarely developed in France. Algeria.
and Kylia Nemours Besides having a very good chance of winning an Olympic gold medal, Saoussen Boudiaf also has a chance to make the podium, or at least have a good performance at the Paris Global Congress (July 26-August 11).
Thorson’s story is not typical. First she ended her career, then came back to play for Algeria.
The fencer will not find the Paris Olympics. She already competed in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, but this time under the flag of France, her country of birth. Thorson was born in Roubaix in 1993.
Saoussen Boudiaf, an atypical journey
She started fencing at the age of 11. For 15 years, she has progressed through the ranks of the French team and has had a brilliant career, notably winning the 2013 World Championships silver medal in her sabre event, three silver medals at the European National Championships from 2014 to 2016, and the team gold medal at the 2015 World Cup.
In 2016, she was selected for the French team to compete in the Rio Olympics team competition. She and her team were eliminated in the first round.
Despite all the difficulties, in 2020, at the age of 26, she decided to end her career and make a living away from fencing. She trained as a nursing assistant and got married.
In 2021, she surprised herself again and decided to reconnect with fencing, this time under the flag of Algeria, her grandmother’s country of origin.
She died in 2016 and played a central role in Thorson’s career.
The future fencer was orphaned at the age of six and raised by his grandmother and aunt.
They encouraged her to practice fencing, which she disliked at first, but eventually fell in love with under the stimulation of “fencing”.The fact that I was able to beat the boys there”, as she told Olympics.com last November.
Saoussen Boudiaf, a fencer who could bring glory to the Algerian team at the Olympics
When she was competing in the Olympics in Rio, her grandmother’s death had a huge impact on her.”She was the one who raised me. She was my mother, my father, my sister, my every reference point. It was the end of my world and it was hard for me to cope.“, she says.
It was from her that she gained her strong character. His decision to choose the Algerian Federation was also a way of paying tribute to him.
“I asked myself: What can I do to show how much she means to me, how much I listen to her and how much I miss her? I know she would have loved to see me play against Algeria. », explains the fencer.
In 2021, she chose her grandmother’s homeland. When athletes sign a petition in 2022 supporting the wearing of the Islamic veil in sport, the choice will cause much speculation and confusion.
« People confuse the fact that I need faith with the fact that I changed my nationality in sports », she regretted in her column for Liberation.
Under the Algerian flag, she won championships and medals at the African and regional levels. Notably, she won two gold medals at the African Championships in 2022 and 2023, and a gold medal of the same color at the Mediterranean Games in 2022. In 2023, she entered the top 20 in the world, the best ranking of her career.
Last March, she earned a ticket to the 2024 Olympics along with fellow Algerian fencers Zohra Kehli, Kaouthar-Mohamed Belkebir and Abik Boungab after a stage at the World Cup in Belgium.
In Paris, Saouchon Boudiaf had every opportunity to represent Algeria and pay tribute to his grandmother in a very beautiful way.
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