Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Valladont, Addis, Lebrun… when Occitanie celebrates its champions at Club France

Une brochette de champions et dirigeants honorés, dont Valladont et Addis, médaille d'argent autour du cou. Midi Libre – Richard Gougis

Alors que 17 médailles françaises sont déjà assurées pour des athlètes venus d’Occitanie, la Région a tenu à rendre hommage à ses champions le temps d’une soirée au Club France.

17 medals secured including 6 gold with 7 more possibilities to come. The Occitanie athletes are carving out a slice of “Léon” in the tricolor feast. This would place the region in 11th position in the medal table, far ahead of many nations… It didn't take much more to make Kamel Chibli drip with happiness in the dampness of the Club France, Tuesday evening, during a tribute in the presence of many presidents and executives of the sports federations concerned.

Obviously, Marchand's golden raid weighs heavily in the balance but the vice-president of the Occitanie Region, in charge of Education and Sport, does not hide “my great pride because 30% of French medals is huge, unheard of for a region, well beyond my expectations. So I wanted to organize this evening because it is important to pay tribute to them and to show that Occitania exists against a backdrop of fierce competition in sport."

Tribute to Kevin Mayer

It all started with a moving tribute from the elected official and the audience to Kevin Mayer, who had to withdraw from the decathlon due to a thigh injury. It warms the heart to be applauded and supported even in bad times, appreciates the Montpellier athlete. Watching the decathlon was difficult but the performances of the French team comfort me with a special nod to Félix Lebrun for his medal. At 17, it's incredible."

The emotion of Stéphane Lebrun

While Mayer was talking about his past at Creps in Montpellier and his memories of playing in the barracks with Pierre Le Corre in particular, Stéphane Lebrun, Félix's father, gave an emotional first reaction after his son's bronze with golden accents: “It's incredible, French table tennis has been waiting for this for 32 years and it's an Occitan who succeeds another… We were pioneers in linking Nîmes and Montpellier within the same club. A message of unity for this really cool region."

Addis and Valladont as superstars

It is not Alain Lauferon, co-president of the Nîmes-Montpellier Alliance, who will contradict him with 12 athletes from the club selected for the Olympics and the Paralympics. Three French, of course, but also a Puerto Rican, an Indian, a Thai… "This moment of emotion offered by Félix validates our action, the leader rejoices. We have gone beyond rivalries to propose another economic model for table tennis. Together we are stronger with managers and technicians. We have gone from respect to trust and now to friendship."

The Lebrun brothers focused on preparing for their team match, the Nîmes archers Baptiste Addis and Jean-Charles Valladont, silver medals around their necks, monopolized the attention and requests for selfies and autographs. Another Gard club that illustrates controlled growth boosted by the support of communities.

“We are attentive to their needs”

“We must remain modest and humble, this success is first and foremost theirs, concludes Kamel Chibli. But as these champions themselves say so well, an ecosystem is needed to allow them to grow. We are attentive to their needs. I have been a sales rep for years for that. The Region is 130 million committed in addition to the investment of the municipalities, the communities of municipalities, the departments and the result is there. With in addition 18 medals including 7 gold that foreign delegations came to prepare on our structures."

"Accounts" to sleep standing up or rather to daydream. And the party is not over…