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EPEE Laurence
NOC France   
GenderWomen
Born 15 Nov 1990 in Paris, FRA
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Residence Paris, FRA
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Clichy Escrime: Paris, FRA
Further Personal Information
Higher education Law - Paris-Sorbonne University: France
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? She initially began fencing with the foil before switching to epee at age 13. "With the foil I was doing a lot of non-valid touches. At least with the epee all touches are valid, and I thought it was cool. Fencing is a sport in which, before facing a rival, you need to be concentrated on what you are doing. I just fell in love with the sport."
General Interest
Hero / Idol French fencer Laura Flessel-Colovic. (lemondelescrime.wordpress.com, 20 Jun 2018)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach Jean-Francois Di Martino [national], FRA
Handedness Right
When and where did you begin this sport? She began fencing at age six in Paris, France. "As soon as I started fencing, I wanted to start competing. I wanted to be like [French fencer] Laura Flessel."
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete, Marketing, Public Relations Professional
Languages English, French
General Interest
Other information HERITAGE
She was born in Paris, France, to a family of Cameroon and French Guiana origins. Her parents moved the family to the overseas region of French Guiana when she was age 10, and she continued fencing there at the Geldar Kourou club, where she switched disciplines from foil to epee. She returned to mainland France at age 14. "I am a Parisienne at heart. My family, my friends, my whole life has always been in Paris. I never really wanted to leave in my youth." (Facebook page, 18 Apr 2019; lemondelescrime.wordpress.com, 20 Jun 2018; guyane2014-2016.org, 02 Nov 2015; leparisien.fr, 11 Dec 2012)

ATTACKING STYLE
In 2017 she said that she prefers an offensive style of fencing. "I am very explosive and fast. I am an attacker, who likes to move forward. But sometimes I don't prepare my attack well, and that's where I can sometimes lose a match and take hits." (eurosport.fr, 30 Jun 2017)

OCCUPATION
Since June 2020 she has worked as a marketing editor for French oil company Total. She is also a representative for women's epee at the French High Level Athlete's Commission, a position which she has held since October 2020. Previously, she has worked as a communications officer for a music company and as an intern at a French TV and radio station. (LinkedIn profile, 23 Apr 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
From 2014 to 2017 she studied journalism at the Journalist Training Centre [CFJ] in Paris, France. Earlier, from 2013 to 2014, she completed an online course in investigation techniques with the Normill School of Private Investigators and Detectives in Hornchurch, England. (LinkedIn profile, 23 Apr 2021; eurosport.fr, 30 Jun 2017)
Ambitions To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 12 Mar 2021)
Awards and honours She was flag bearer for France at the opening ceremony of the 2017 World University Games in Taipei, Chinese Taipei. (france-u-taipei2017.com, 17 Aug 2017)
Sport Specific Information
Training Regime She trains at the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance [INSEP] in Paris, France.
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievement Achieving her first World Cup podium when she finished second in May 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (escrime-ffe.fr, 07 May 2018)
Most influential person in career French fencer Laura Flessel-Colovic, who influenced her to focus on the epee discipline. (leparisien.fr, 17 Jun 2018)

Major Results
Year Rank Event Venue
World Championships
2018 Final 5-6 Team Epee Wuxi, China
2017 Final 5-6 Team Epee Leipzig, Germany
European Championships
2018 1 Team Epee Novi Sad, Serbia
2017 1 Team Epee Tbilisi, Georgia