Althéa Laurin (born 1 September 2001) is a French taekwondo athlete competing in the middleweight division. She won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, both in the women + 67 kg. She has been made Knight of the National Order of Merit.
 Althéa Laurin at the 2023 World Championships in Baku | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  France
| ||
| Women's taekwondo | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
2024 Paris | +67 kg |
 |
2020 Tokyo | +67 kg |
| World Championships | ||
|
2023 Baku | 73 kg |
| Grand Prix | ||
|
2023 Paris | +67kg |
 |
2022 Paris | +67kg |
|
2022 Manchester | +67kg |
| European Games | ||
|
2023 Kraków-Małopolska | 73 kg |
| European Championships | ||
|
2022 Manchester | 73 kg |
|
2024 Belgrade | 73 kg |
| Mediterranean Games | ||
|
2018 Tarragona | 67 kg |
|
2022 Oran | +67 kg |
Career
editLaurin made her debut internationally in 2016. The following year, she won the European Taekwondo Junior Championships in Larnaca and then the gold medal at the 2018 Junior World Championship in Hammamet.[1] She made her Olympic debut representing France at the 2020 Summer Olympics at 19 years old.[2]
She was selected for the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's +67 kg where she defeated the Mexican fighter Briseida Acosta in the opening round and Olympic champion Zheng Shuyin in the second round. She lost against Milica Mandic and overcame Aminata Traoré in the repechage to secure a bronze Olympic medal.[3]
She won the gold medal in her event at the 2022 European Taekwondo Championships held in Manchester, United Kingdom.[4]
She won the bronze medal in the women's +67 kg event at the 2022 Mediterranean Games held in Oran, Algeria.[5]
In 2023, Laurin won the gold medal in the women's middleweight event at the World Taekwondo Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan.[6] She defeated Rebecca McGowan of Great Britain in her gold medal match.[6][7]
In July 2023, she ranked number one in both world and Olympic rankings with a total of 477 points.
Distinctions
editIn March 2024, the French Embassy in Korea named one of its hall after Laurin's name.[8]
- Orders
- In 2021, she was appointed Knight of the National Order of Merit.[10]
Personal life
editLaurin was born in Saint-Denis, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, into a family with roots in the French overseas department of Martinique.[11]
References
edit- ^ "TaekwondoData". TaekwondoData. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "Taekwondo - LAURIN Althea". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "Taekwondo - Women +67kg Schedule". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ Brennan, Eliott (20 May 2022). "Olympic medallist Laurin and Ravet claim gold medals for France at European Taekwondo Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ "Taekwondo Results Book" (PDF). 2022 Mediterranean Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ a b Burke, Patrick (30 May 2023). "French double up and two neutrals medal at World Taekwondo Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "World Taekwondo Championships: Britain's Rebecca McGowan misses out on first world title". BBC Sport. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ The French Embassy in Korea inaugurated its hall in honor of the Olympic medallist Althea Laurin, retrieved 29 March 2024
- ^ "Décret du 23 septembre 2024 portant nomination dans l'ordre national de la Légion d'honneur". 23 September 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Décret du 8 septembre 2021 portant promotion et nomination dans l'ordre national du Mérite - Légifrance".
- ^ "Althéa Laurin : Martinique A nu". martiniqueannu.com.
External links
edit- Althéa Laurin profile at World Taekwondo
- Althéa Laurin ranking at World Taekwondo
- Althéa Laurin at TaekwondoData.com
- Althéa Laurin at Olympics.com
- Althéa Laurin at Olympedia
- Althéa Laurin at the French Olympic and Sports Committee (archived) (in French)
- Althéa Laurin at Team France (in French)
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