Sébastien Patrice will remember the year 2024 as being that of all joys. “ I had a fantastic summer and fall », admits the Marseillais. With a team bronze medal with the Blues during the Paris Olympic Games, and two gold medals won during two stages of the Fencing World Cup. The last one on November 9 in Oran. Where the competition conditions were more complicated.
« There were fewer people in the room, and I didn't have the extraordinary support of the public, like in Paris “, he says. Nevertheless, he knew how to stay focused. “ I did like at the Games. I entered my bubble to be impervious to the context. » And it worked rather well since he returned from Algeria with the gold medal.
Sébastien Patrice, at just 24 years old, is climbing the ranks of the French saber hierarchy. “ It was by going to see my big brother practice I got caught up in the game “, he admits. It was at the Maison de Quartier des Caviens that he made his debut, before moving to the Gémenos club. Adopting the saber, like his elder. “ It's the fastest weapon, which forces you to find the right tactics very quickly “, he explains. And when we ask him what characterizes a good swordsman, he highlights the three strong assets that you must have in your game. “ Perseverance, reflexes and being very, very, very smart ! ».
His big brother Jean-Philippe was his first model. “ Now we sometimes find ourselves face to face, in healthy competition. » Otherwise, he admits to having “ inspired by Damien Touya, for his aggressiveness and his vision of fencing. And Kim-jung Hwan for his sense of tactics ».
If he started in his hometown of Marseille, it was in Alsace, in Souffelweyersheim, that he had to emigrate since he joined the elite of French fencing. He is also a member of the National Police team. “ I had to find a club that would allow me to maintain my level and in the South, unfortunately, there is none. But as soon as I can, I come back to the country to recharge my batteries with my family. »
Its exceptional summer and autumn open up perspectives for it. “ There is the Grand Prix d'Orléans, in a month. “But he is not yet planning on Los Angeles, scene of the next Olympic Games in 2028. ” I will have many other goals to achieve between now and then. While knowing that from now on, I will be expected due to my latest results. »
