Sports in Guadeloupe!
Laura Flessel-Colovic
Did you know- By the mid-1990s,France’s athlete Laura Flessel-Colovic, an afro-Caribbean, was the first Caribbean fencer to win an Olympic title since 1904 when Cuba won four gold medals. Under her leadership, France captured two gold medals (individual épée and team épée) in the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in the American city of Atlanta in July and August 1996. In the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Miss Flessel-Colovic placed third in the épée event, winning a bronze medal for France.
Lilian Thuram
Did you know- The Island of Guadeloupe, a French dependency, is the birthplace of Lilian Thuram, who was one of the world’s most important players in the late 1990s. He helped his country’s national squad to win the Men’s Football World Cup in July 1998. Thuram, who played on the World Cup team with Zinedine Zidane, is one of the most beloved figures in his Island, together with Laura Flessel-Colovic (fencing) and Marie-Jose Perec (track & field).
Marie-Jose Perec
Did you know- Guadeloupe is home to many world-class athletes since the 1990s. The Island’s athlete Marie-José Perec, for example, was one of the best international sprinters of the 20th century. During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta (Georgia, U.S. ), Perec won the 200m and the 400m in Olympic record time of 48.25 seconds. Under the flag of France, she became the second female, after Valerie Brisco-Hooks (Los Angeles 1984), to win both these events in one Olympics. Four years ago, she captured a gold medal in the 400m in the Olympic Games in Spain. By 1988, she had been chosen to compete in the Games of the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul (South Korea). On that occasion, she finished 32nd in the 200m. This amazing athlete was the first Caribbean woman to win two gold medals in athletics. Today Marie-José Perec is an icon in Guadeloupe, an Island about the size of Houston (Texas).
Olympics
Did you know- Unlike Bermuda (Great Britain), Aruba (Netherlands) and the Virgin Islands (USA), Guadeloupe does not compete in the Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan American Games, and Olympics. Like its counterparts from New Caledonia (South Pacific), Martinique (Caribbean), and Reunion (Africa), athletes from Guadeloupe compete in the international events under the French flag. In recent decades, the Island has provided France with its best athletes.
Soccer
Did you know- Soccer is one of the most favorite pastimes of the Island’s inhabitants.