BLAZE Anita

Personal Information

Occupation Athlete

Languages French

License number 29101991000

Club

Upcoming Events

Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? She took up the sport at age seven in Guadeloupe, France.

Why this sport? "Fencing was immediately a passion for me. It's a sport in which I feel completely free."

Club / Team Aubervilliers Escrime Club: France

Handedness Right

General Interest

Nicknames Doudou Dynamite (franceantilles.mobi, 02 Jan 2015)

Hobbies Spending time with friends and family. (timsmagazine.fr, 14 Sep 2021)

Memorable sporting achievement Winning silver in team foil at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (timsmagazine.fr, 14 Sep 2021)

Injuries A shoulder injury prevented her from competing at the 2021 World Cup event in Saint-Maur, France. (escrime-ffe.fr, 12 Jan 2022; lequipe.fr, 09 Dec 2021)

In September 2015 she had to stop fencing because of a herniated disc, which ended her hopes of selection for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She returned to competition in November 2016. (guadeloupe.franceantille.mobi, 17 Mar 2017)

She has been troubled by a recurrent hip injury during her career. (leparisien.fr, 18 Jun 2019)

Sporting philosophy / motto "I know where I come from, and where I go." (Instagram profile, 14 Apr 2018)

Awards and honours She was selected as a torch bearer for the 2024 Olympic Torch Relay's journey through the Seine-Saint-Denis area of Paris, France. (jopparis2024.seinesaintdenis.fr, 01 Jan 2024)

In 2021 she was named Knight of the National Order of Merit by the French government. (legifrance.gouv.fr, 08 Sep 2021)

Ambitions To win gold at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (Conseil Departamental de la Seine-Saint-Denis YouTube channel, 27 Jan 2021)

Other information HIP PROBLEMS
She has a malformation in her hip that causes recurrent problems with her femur. "I've been able to manage the pain but I have to deal with it. Every day, I'm forced to train harder than the rest in order to strengthen my hip. It's a handicap but my sport gives me so much pleasure." (leparisien.fr, 18 Jun 2019)

OCCUPATION
In October 2020 she began working at the Seine-Saint-Denis departmental government in France. She is part of the education and youth section, where she deals with financial and budget management. "For me it's an ideal situation because I can combine both my sporting and professional careers. That means I can prepare for the Olympic Games in the best conditions while at the same time I'm beginning to prepare for my career after sport." (jopparis2024.seinesaintdenis.fr, 01 Jan 2024; lemag.seinesaintdenis.fr, 21 Dec 2020)

FROM GUADELOUPE TO MAINLAND FRANCE
Born in Guadeloupe, she relocated to continental France in 2009 to join the youth national training centre in Aix-en-Provence. (leparisien.fr, 18 Jun 2019)