BOREL Yannick

Personal Information

Family Wife Annia, son Andre, daughters Anelia [2017] and Alyna [2022]

Occupation Athlete, Customs Officer

Languages Creole, English, French

Higher education Physical Education - National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance [INSEP]: Paris, FRA

License number 05111988002

Club

Upcoming Events

Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? He took up the sport in 1998 in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe.

Why this sport? He developed an interest in fencing after a demonstration at his school, and was also inspired by Zorro. "I wanted to do karate but there was no competition available so I decided to try fencing. I chose epee because it's more expressive than foil, where the referee is too present."

Club / Team Levallois SC: France

Handedness Right

International Debut

Year 2009

Competing for France

General Interest

Nicknames Le Boss, Le Lion (offensivesportmag.fr, 30 Jan 2022)

Memorable sporting achievement Winning gold in individual epee at the 2018 World Championships in Wuxi, People's Republic of China. (Sport en France YouTube channel, 05 Jan 2022)

Most influential person in career French fencer Ulrich Robeiri. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)

Hero / Idol French fencers Laura Flessel-Colovic, Fabrice Jeannet, and Jerome Jeannet. (100-pour-cent-antilles.com, 05 Jan 2018; Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)

Injuries A broken bone in his foot kept him out of competition for several months in early 2023. (lequipe.fr, 05 Jun 2023; Facebook page, 11 Mar 2023)

He needed surgery in August 2018 after injuring his right wrist. He required six months of rehabilitation, and returned to competition in January 2019. (lequipe.fr, 28 Jan 2019; escrime-ffe.fr, 28 Jan 2019)

Sporting philosophy / motto "The talent is already there, I just need to let the artist speak." (insep.fr, 23 Jul 2021)

Awards and honours The fencing hall of the Sporting Resources, Expertise and Performance Centre [CREPS] in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, was named after him in 2023. (Region Guadeloupe YouTube channel, 24 Apr 2023)

He was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour in recognition of his gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (lequipe.fr, 23 Dec 2016)

He was flag bearer for France at the opening ceremony of the 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russian Federation. (sport-u.com, 26 Jun 2013)

Ambitions To win gold medals, including individual gold, at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (la1ere.francetvinfo.fr, 19 Jul 2023)

Other information RETURN TO FORM AFTER INJURY
Following a broken bone in his foot in 2023, which saw him spend several months in a plaster cast, in March 2024 he won his first individual international title since the 2022 European Championships with victory in the Grand Prix in Budapest, Hungary. "I had made it to the quarterfinal twice so far [in Vancouver and Doha] so I knew I wasn't far from returning to the podium, but I needed something extra to get there. It's been a while since I have won something after breaking my foot about a year ago [February 2023]. Getting back to my best has taken a while, but it's done now. The final objective is of course the Olympic Games [in Paris]. I want to win a medal in Paris. There's four months until the Games, including several World Cups and the European championships. This will allow me to meet the best fencers, put my work into practice and analyse my opponents. I'm going to work hard for Paris." (rmcsport.bfmtv.com, 11 Mar 2024)

FROM GUADELOUPE TO MAINLAND FRANCE
He was born and raised in Guadeloupe, a French overseas region in the Caribbean. At age 15 he was invited by the then France national coach, Jerome Roussat, to join the national junior training centre in Reims, France. However, his parents refused the invitation and he had to wait until he had finished his high school studies in 2007 before he could leave Guadeloupe for mainland France. In 2019 he launched the Yannick Borel Challenge, a youth fencing tournament in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. He often returns to Guadeloupe with his family. "I put into my planning the time to take one or two weeks [in Guadeloupe], to recharge my batteries. Psychologically, it gives me a fresh start. I need contact with this island. I come to make the most of my family, my children, my parents, my brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles and the island, because I love Guadeloupe." (ouest-france.fr, 18 Feb 2024; Facebook page, 17 Apr 2019; 100-pour-cent-antilles.com, 05 Jan 2018)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
He was named a member of the International Fencing Federation [FIE] athletes' commission in 2017 and 2022. (Federation Francaise d'Escrime Facebook page, 27 Jul 2022; fie.org, 04 Aug 2017)

OCCUPATION
He works for French customs [douanes] under a special contract for elite athletes that allows him to train and compete internationally. (douane.gouv.fr, 15 Apr 2024; Twitter profile, 22 Jul 2022)

FILM WORK
In 2023 he worked as a fencing instructor on the French movie 'The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan'. "I tried to put the actors at ease when handling the sword so they could separate the movement of their arms and legs and be able to perform all the movements needed." (rmcsport.bfmtv.com, 05 Apr 2023)