Volleyball: the first point in a professional team for the very young Narbonnais Tom Colomb

His starting point as a professional. Certainly not an arrival. Perhaps a milestone in the sporting life of Tom Colomb. This famous point scored by this 20-year-old Narbonnais on Saturday October 5 at the Arena in front of nearly 2,500 spectators facing Cannes. Installed in the stands just behind the press bench, her sister Marie has almost lost the use of her voice. It was the first time that the Centurions Narbonne put, on a match sheet in Ligue A (SpikeLigue), the name of the man they present as “the club kid”, on their website. And it was therefore quite naturally the first time in his very short career that receiver-attacker Tom Colomb scored a point in the French volleyball elite.

“It was a lot of fun, that’s for sure. Not necessarily at the moment, because we’re in our game. There’s emotion but it’s a bit of everything mixed together. We’re in our room at the Arena, in front of our audience, in front of family, friends… Then unfortunately, we lost this first match of the season at home, so I ultimately didn’t really enjoy this point. What matters is that. This is indeed the collective result and at the moment it is not good so we will wait to rejoice”, coldly analyzes the very mature Tom Colomb.

A crazy schedule

That evening, his trainer Rafael Redwitz had absolutely no guarantee that he would return. The circumstances of the match will have meant that… “It’s a childhood dream to step onto the floor of the Arena, I can’t say the opposite. I simply would have preferred that there be this success at the end,” insists Tom Colomb. Does he fantasize about a career as a professional volleyball player who evolves in parallel with the Narbonne Volley training center of which he is also the captain? “I’m not closing any doors. My life is divided between studies with my BTS in alternating accounting and volleyball. We’ll see”, he evacuates.

One thing is certain: the kid spares no effort. His schedule doesn’t really leave any room for relaxation. Between his Louise-Michel high school, the company that employs him, the accounting firm Synex, and the volleyball courts, it’s often a race. “In any case, I really want to thank those who I call my three bosses, the school, the company and volleyball for always being as accommodating as possible with me.”

At the true starting point, at the beginning, how and why did volleyball impact its existence? “My father Philippe was a physical trainer at the club and so I got closer to Narbonne Volley…” His first great volleyball memory: “I was 8 or 9 years old, I played in chicks, it was the international tournament in Hyères. It was my first big tournament, when you’re little like that, when you go to play a little far away, that you sleep in the hotel, you understand that that’s it, the competition is taking place.”

Tom Colomb has the profile of an efficient server, perhaps more comfortable attacking than receiving. At the training center, he acts as a guide within the team. Mentally, Captain Columbus is resourceful. And when asked to name a volleyball player who inspires him, his response is eloquent: “Individually, I don’t have a name that comes to mind. It’s more the collectives that inspire me. I would say the French team.”

This sums up the character well.