Laura Flessel-Colovic

Laura Flessel-Colovic (born 6 November 1971) is a French politician and épée fencer who served as Minister of Sports from 2017 to 2018. Born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, she has won the most Olympic medals of any French sportswoman, with five.[3] Before 2007, she was a member of the Levallois Sporting Club Escrime, and now works with Lagardère Paris Racing.[4] She is married and has one daughter.

Laura Flessel-Colovic
Minister of Sports
In office 17 May 2017 – 4 September 2018
Prime Minister	Édouard Philippe
Preceded by	Patrick Kanner
Succeeded by	Roxana Maracineanu
Personal details
Born	(1971-11-06) 6 November 1971 Petit-Bourg, France
Spouse(s)	Denis Colovic
Children	1

Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
Sport	Fencing
Weapon	épée
Hand	left-handed
Personal coach	Daniel Levavasseur
Retired	2012
FIE ranking	archive
Medal record Women's fencing Representing  France Olympic Games[1][2] 1996 Atlanta Individual épée 1996 Atlanta Team épée 2004 Athens Individual épée 2000 Sydney Individual épée 2004 Athens Team épée World Championships Chaux-de-Fds. 1998 Individual épée Chaux-de-Fds. 1998 Team épée Seoul 1999 Individual épée Leipzig 2005 Team épée St.Petersburg 2007 Team épée Beijing 2008 Team épée The Hague 1995 Team épée Nîmes 2001 Individual épée Turin 2006 Team épée The Hague 1995 Individual épée Cape Town 1997 Team épée Leipzig 2005 Individuel épée Turin 2006 Individuel épée European Championships Ghent 2007 Individual épée Ghent 2007 Team épée Plovdiv 2009 Individual épée Leipzig 2010 Individual épée Leipzig 2010 Team épée Sheffield 2011 Team épée Mediterranean Games Almería 2005 Individual épée Fencing World Cup 2002 Individual épée 2003 Individual épée 2004 Individual épée 2005 Individual épée 2007 Individual épée 1997 Individual épée 2006 Individual épée

She was France's flag-bearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London, which was her fifth and last Olympics.[5]

She was appointed Minister of Sports in the Philippe Government on 17 May 2017[6] and resigned on 4 September 2018.[7]

Sporting career

Laura Flessel at 2007 European Fencing Championships

Fencer

Laura Flessel began fencing at age six and quickly became a very talented fencer. She progressed quickly and became champion of Guadeloupe. Then, she gained solid experience on the Caribbean, Central American and Pan American circuits, winning in 1990 the Pan American Championships in foil and épée. The same year, she joined the metropolis, to train with the Racing Club de France. She also trains within the INSEP, which allows her to face the best French fencers.

She won her first world stage success in 1995, finishing in third place at the Hague World Championships.[8] This bronze medal is accompanied by a silver medal in the team event, which was defeated 45 to 44 by Hungary. Her teammates were Valérie Barlois, Sophie Moressee and Sangita Tripathi.[9]

After her gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and her victory at 1998 World Cup, she became the eighth French fencer, and first woman, to win the Olympic and World Champion titles.[10] She is one of the favorites for the 2000 Summer Olympics title. She finally fails in the semi-final against Timea Nagy. At the 2006 World Championships in Turin, she gets a new individual bronze medal, beaten again by Timea Nagy[11]

The 2008 Summer Olympics, her fourth Olympic Games, marks a turning point as it is the first Olympics where she does not get a medal after being eliminated by Li Na (15-9) in the quarter-finals. The year 2009 sees again Laura Flessel at the top but still without success with a third place at the European Championships in Plovdiv [12] and a failure at the World Championships in Antalya where she lost f in quarter final against Lyubov Shutova after a close match that ends in sudden death on the score of 7 to 8.

On 21 April 2012, she qualifies for the individual event of the London Olympics by defeating Emma Samuelsson in the semifinals of the European Zone Qualifying Championship in Bratislava.[13] On May 14, 2012, Laura Flessel is officially designated flag bearer of the French delegation for the London Olympics.[14] In her final competition, she defeated Courtney Hurley (15-12) before losing to Simona Gherman (No. 4 worldwide) 15-13. She ends her career at the age of 40.[15]

Controversy

Laura Flessel was banned for three months in 2002 after failing a doping test.[16] She tested positive for the banned substance coramine glucose, blaming the French team doctors for giving her a drug that is available over the counter in France.[17]

Sports management

In 2012, she took over the management of Nathalie Moellhausen, a native of Italy and competing under the colors of Brazil, forming a group also composed of two fencing masters, Daniel Levavasseur and Michel Sicard, the latter having both coached Flessel.[18]

Sports consultant and other activities

Media and television

Laura Flessel in 2012

In 2008, Laura Flessel was a columnist for the daily newspaper Aujourd'hui Sport.

She was a contestant on the third season of Danse avec les stars.[19]

During the 2016 Summer Olympics she commented, on Canal +, the opening ceremony with Stéphane Guy and Joris Sabi, the fencing events with Frédéric Roullier and the closing ceremony with Julien Fébreau and Jean Galfione.[20]

Community life

She is ambassador of the AMREF Flying Doctors' Stand Up for African Mothers campaign, the godmother of Handicap International, and Ambassador of Plan France.[21] His long-term project is to bring fencing to disadvantaged cities and places. She is also a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO where she promotes tolerance in sports.[22]

She founded the association Ti'Colibri which aims to promote fencing. Thanks to its action, it has been able to offer means and equipment to clubs with few resources.[23]

Political career

During the two-rounds of the French presidential election of 2017, she was one of the sixty active or retired sportsmen who signed a call to vote for Emmanuel Macron on May 7, 2017 in the second round of the presidential election "so that sport remains an area of freedom, equality and fraternity."[24]

On May 17, 2017, she was appointed Minister of Sports in the First Philippe government, under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, a position she held in the Second Philippe government, which was formed on June 21, 2017.[25]

The government's second most popular minister at the end of 2017, she is notably responsible for preparing the organization of the 2024 Summer Olympics. At the beginning of 2018, she launched a campaign against discrimination in the sporting world, with as ambassadors Antoine Griezmann, Estelle Mossely, Marie-Amélie Le Fur, Frédéric Michalak, Emmeline Ndongue and Florent Manaudou.[26]

Honours

• Summer Olympics
  • Gold Medal in individual épée in 1996
  • Gold Medal in team épée in 1996
  • Silver Medal in individual épée in 2004
  • Bronze Medal in individual épée in 2000
  • Bronze Medal in team épée in 2004
• World Championships
  • Gold Medal in individual épée in 1998
  • Gold Medal in team épée in 1998
  • Gold Medal in individual épée in 1999
  • Gold Medal in team épée in 2005
  • Gold Medal in team épée in 2008
  • Silver Medal in team épée in 1995
  • Silver Medal in individual épée in 2001
  • Silver Medal in team épée in 2006
  • Bronze Medal in individual épée in 1995
  • Bronze Medal in team épée in 1997
  • Bronze Medal in individual épée in 2005
  • Bronze Medal in individual épée in 2006
• World Cup Fencing
  • World Cup winner individual épée in 2002, 2003 and 2004
  • World Cup runner-up individual épée in 1997

References

1. "Olympics Statistics: Laura Flessel-Colovic". databaseolympics.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012.
2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Laura Flessel-Colovic". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
3. "Olympian Laura Flessel-Colovic sets example as French Sports Minister". World Olympians Association. 14 June 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
4. "Lagardère – Communiqués de presse". Lagardere.com. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
5. "Fencer Flessel to be France's Olympic flag-bearer". NDTV. Agence France-Presse. 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
6. Grégoire Clavel (17 May 2017). "Laura Flessel nommée Ministre des Sports du gouvernement Édouard Philippe". Huffington Post.
7. "France's sports minister quits ahead of expected cabinet shuffle - Reuters". Reuters. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
8. Harkins, Craig (5 December 2003). "The Wasp". Fencing.net. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
9. Michel Chemin (24 July 1995). "L'épée française touche l'argent. Un Mondial de bonne augure à un an des Jeux olympiques d'Atlanta" (in French). Libération. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
10. "Laura Flessel : le monde après l'Olympe" (in French). Le Télégramme. 9 October 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
11. Lionel Venturini (5 October 2006). "Laura Flessel sauve l'honneur" (in French). L'Humanité. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
12. "Le bronze pour Laura Flessel aux Championnats d'Europe d'escrime" (in French). Le Monde. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
13. "Laura Flessel-Colovic décroche son ticket pour Londres" (in French). Le Monde. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
14. "JO : Laura Flessel désignée porte-drapeau de la délégation française" (in French). Le Figaro. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
15. Aurelie Bas (30 July 2012). "JO 2012 : Laura Flessel peut prendre sa retraite, elle perd en 8e de finale" (in French). Melty. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
16. "Laura Flessel". ESPN.com. Summer 2008. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
17. "Laura Flessel, suspendue et révoltée – Libération". Liberation.fr. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
18. Etic Michel (7 August 2016). "Rio 2016 : la double vie de Laura Flessel" (in French). Melty. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
19. Etic Michel (21 October 2012). "Danse avec les stars 3 : Laura Flessel a été éliminée" (in French). Voici. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
20. Dimitri Ranchou (20 May 2016). "Canal+ puissance 8 pour Rio" (in French). Média Sportif. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
21. Fretigne, Laurent (17 May 2017). "Nommée ministre des sports, Laura Flessel une fine lame au gouvernement". Ouest-France. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
22. "Laura FLESSEL-COLOVIC: Olympic Medal Winner Fencer and Goodwill Ambassador for UNESCO". UNESCO.org. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
23. Marianne Behar (10 December 2005). "Laura Flessel se fend pour les petits clubs" (in French). L'Humanité. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
24. Marianne Behar (3 May 2017). "Présidentielle: Matuidi et des sportifs français appellent à voter Macron" (in French). BFM TV. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
25. "L'ex-championne d'escrime Laura Flessel ministre des Sports" (in French). Radio France Internationale. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
26. "Laura Flessel lance une campagne contre les discriminations" (in French). L'Équipe. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.

External links

• "Laura Flessel-Colovic", Time, 11 September 2000
• "Laura Flessel-Colovic", n°30 on Time’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch" (2008)

Olympic Games
Preceded by Tony Estanguet	Flagbearer for  France London 2012	Succeeded by Teddy Riner