They made us dream this summer of the Paris Olympic Games, the best sabreurs in the world are in Orléans from this Thursday, December 5 and until Saturday. THE team bronze medaliststhe Orléans brothers Sébastien and Jean-Philippe Patrice in particular, Boladé Apithy also, even if he no longer shoots, he will be present as assistant coach of the France team. The champion Manon Apithy-Brunet, who won individual goldis of course particularly awaited.
Part of the international top 20, Manon Apithy-Brunet will not participate in qualifying this Thursday, she will enter the track on Saturday at the Palais des Sports for the qualifiers. This Grand Prix d'Orléans, she knows it well, “it's a bit my competition“, she smiles. She has won it three times, including last year. After her gold medal at the Olympics, the Olympic champion did not want to miss it even if she admits, since this summer, she has not resumed training intensely. “Physically, I can see that I'm not ready, I tell myself that a misunderstanding could go well, between the public and the desire. It's a great competition, this audience often transcends me, that's all I ask of them, to be with me, and I will give my best.”
Sylvain Desnoues, fencing master of the Cercle d'escrime Orléans, one of the organizers of this Grand Prix, hopes that this edition will benefit from the interest brought by the Games. “The idea is to ride this Olympic wave, everyone still has that in mind. We are lucky to have athletes who performed well in the Olympic Games. This takes us to a record event in terms of athlete participation.” More than 400 are registered.
“Ticketing is doing quite well, he adds, We are not pessimistic about being almost sold out on Saturday evening for the semi-finals at the Zénith.” 5,000 spectators are expected over the three days of the Grand Prix. There are still places left, you can get them by following this link to the ticket office.
The program
- Qualifications dames : Thursday December 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Men's qualifications : Friday December 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Women's and men's qualifiers : Saturday December 7 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Women's and men's final stages : Saturday December 7 from 6 p.m.
The weapons room of the Charles Péguy high school renamed “Manon Apithy-Brunet”
The Saber Grand Prix will therefore benefit from this “vague” of the Olympics, the Charles Péguy high school in Orléans also wants the performances of Manon Apithy-Brunet to inspire its students, by giving its weapons room the name of the Olympic champion. At fifteen, Manon Apithy-Brunet enters the section sport studies fencing at the Charles Péguy high school, and discovers this weapons room.
“It was one of the first gyms where I did high level fencing, she explains. It touches me a lot. A trainer told me 'it's funny, you're the first to be plugged in and we almost have to turn off the lights for you to go'. I hope that the little fencers who pass through it will say to themselves that they too can do it, that is what I must convey by giving my name to this weapons room.” It will be inaugurated in the presence of Manon Apithy-Brunet this Thursday evening.
