Nickname
Sam (ffgym.com, 28 Oct 2011)
Hobbies
Music, cinema, mixed martial arts, boxing, visiting amusement parks and zoos. (ffgym.fr, 15 Sep 2019)
Occupation
Athlete
Education
Physiotherapy - National School of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation: Saint-Maurice, FRA
Family
Partner Sandy, daughter Mia [2021]
Spoken languages
English, French
Club
Olympique Antibes Juan les Pins Gymnastique: France
Coach
Rodolphe Bouche [personal], FRA, from 2015
Injuries
He competed at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo with a muscle injury in his left biceps sustained during training. (lequipe.fr, 11 Aug 2021, 04 Aug 2021; leparisien.fr, 02 Aug 2021)
A biceps injury prevented him from competing at the 2021 European Championships in Basel, Switzerland. (rmcsport.bfmtv.com, 23 Jul 2021)
A minor shoulder injury prevented him from competing at the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. (gymandnews.com, 27 Jun 2018)
A torn chest muscle prevented him from competing at the 2018 World Cup event in Doha, Qatar. (actu.fr, 18 May 2018)
He fractured his left tibia and fibula [lower leg] while performing on vault during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The injury kept him out of action until mid-2017. (Olympics Twitter page, 07 Aug 2017; gymandnews.com, 24 Jul 2017)
He sustained three fractures to his right tibia [lower leg] after falling from the vault in the team competition at the 2012 European Championships in Montpellier, France. The injury required him to have surgery and to stop training for six months. It also forced him to miss the 2012 Olympic Games, which he attended as a spectator. (francetvsport.fr, 18 Apr 2015; lequipe.fr, 16 Apr 2015; codesport.fr, 11 Nov 2013; bfmtv.com, 15 Apr 2015)
Start sporting career
He took up gymnastics in 1996 at age six in Champigny-sur-Marne, France.
Reason for taking up the sport
His father, a black belt in karate, wanted him to practise judo, but he chose gymnastics because he liked it at school.
Ambitions
To win a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (lequipe.fr, 04 Aug 2021)
Hero / Idol
French footballer Zinedine Zidane. (rmcsport.bfmtv.com, 23 Jul 2021)
Philosophy / Motto
"When you have a goal in life you have to believe in yourself and persevere." (Olympics Twitter page, 07 Aug 2017)
Awards
He and French judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou were named France's flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (lequipe.fr, 06 Jul 2021)
At the 2019 European Championships in Szczecin, Poland, he received the Shooting Star award, presented to gymnasts with an exceptional story who are an inspiration for the future generation of gymnasts. (ecszczecin2019.eu, 13 Apr 2019)
Additional information
MEDAL PROMISE
He is motivated to win a medal at the Olympic Games to fulfil a promise he made to his late father. “My dad passed away in February [2019] so I stopped my gymnastics training for almost three months. I want to [win] an Olympic medal for my father as I promised him. I will show my medals to my father at his grave. The medal is not only my dream, it was also my father's dream.” (acrobaticsports.com, 29 Jun 2019)
OLYMPIC DISAPPOINTMENTS
A series of injuries have prevented him from performing at his best at the Olympic Games. He was unable to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and then sustained a leg fracture while competing in Rio de Janeiro four years later. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, an arm injury sustained three days before competing in the rings final once again affected his performance as he finished in fourth place. "It's tough because I deserve this fourth place. It's tough because I have worked so much and done many sacrifices. It's tough because I could not perform as I wanted. But I am not cursed because I will win in Paris [at the 2024 Olympic Games]. I am not cursed. Today I did not deserve to win, but it's not finished yet!" (challenges.fr, 21 Jul 2021; leparisien.fr, 02 Aug 2021)
HERITAGE
His family is from Kabylie, a region in northern Algeria. "I'm proud of my origins. Kabylie is the land of my ancestors, but I'm also proud to wear the French national colours." (rfi.fr, 01 Mar 2016)
MARTIAL ARTS PASSION
He is an enthusiast practitioner of martial arts, including mixed martial arts [MMA]. In 2021, in the leading up to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he added kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu sessions to his training routine. "I love combat sports since I was a young boy. I like MMA and have plenty of friends who are professional fighters." (challenges.fr, 21 Jul 2021; rmcsport.bfmtv.com, 23 Jul 2021)
Last update : 2024-07-22
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