PATRICE Sebastien

Personal Information

Residence Paris, FRA

Occupation Police Athlete

Languages English, French

License number 07042000005

Club

Upcoming Events

Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? He began the sport at age 12 in Marseille, France.

Why this sport? He followed his older brother into the sport. "I had no idea what fencing was. I would go to competitions with our father and I met a trainer, who has since become a close friend, and he proposed that I try it for a week. I did three or four sessions and after that there was a local competition that I won. I didn't even know about the difference in weapons, all I knew was the sabre because that's what was in our house. Looking back, destiny was kind because this weapon suits my character."

Club / Team Cercle d'Escrime Orleanais [FRA] / Police Nationale [FRA]: France

Name of coach Alain Coicaud [national]

Handedness Right

General Interest

Nicknames Seb (Instagram profile, 04 Jul 2023)

Hobbies Diving, travel, mixed martial arts. (ffescrime.fr, 01 Jan 2024)

Memorable sporting achievement Winning individual bronze at the 2023 European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and team gold at the 2023 European Games in Poland. (Instagram profile, 04 Jul 2023)

Injuries His training was disrupted ahead of the 2022 World Championships in Cairo, Egypt, after sustaining an injury one month before the start of the tournament. (eurosport.fr, 24 Mar 2024)

Sporting philosophy / motto "I try not to think about what I've done earlier in the season. Every competition is different. I just tell myself I need to beat the maximum number of opponents each time, and that I must progress at each training, without focusing too much on the results of previous competitions. I concentrate on my desire to win medals, I know I'm capable of doing so and that gives me the will to win. My philosophy has always been to remember that my adversary has two legs and two arms, just like me, so we both have the same chance to win. This helps when I come up against a stronger fencer, but it's important to not forget that it works the other way and not forget that anybody can beat me, so I underestimate no one. I take each touch, each match with a maximum of rigour and professionalism." (eurosport.fr, 24 Mar 2024)

Famous relatives His older brother Jean-Philippe is also a fencer who has represented France at international level. The brothers have competed together in team events. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Apr 2022; larep.fr, 29 Jun 2018)

Ambitions To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 18 May 2024)

Other information FENCING BROTHERS
His older brother Jean-Philippe is also a fencer who has represented France at international level, and the brothers came through the development levels of the sport together. "We've always helped pull each other higher ever since we started this sport. He [Jean-Philippe] started fencing first and I followed him into the sport. Our education and family values are important because, no matter whether we win or lose, it shapes who we are. When he loses, it's my loss too and makes me feel and react and learn as if I've experienced a defeat. We try every day, in training and competition, to pull each other higher and improve." Jean-Philippe says the brothers weren't always close in their youth, but have since become closer as adults. "When we were young we were a bit like dogs and cats, with three years difference in age it's a lot when you are young, but today that's not really the case anymore. In 2021, we moved to the Christian Bauer Academy in Orleans, into an intense training structure that we'd never known before. This experience helped bond us, because the mental load was very heavy. We made a decision to train together, to help each other, and to go further together, we chose for our careers to be intertwined and this makes us stronger, because we're there for one another. Winning alone is something, but winning with your brother is indescribable." (reportersincredules.fr, 24 Jul 2023)

UNUSUAL STYLE
When asked to describe his fencing, he said he has an 'unusual' style. "[My fencing style is] very unusual, it's not academic at all. Since I started fencing quite late, I didn't learn all the fundamentals that you might learn at a fencing school where you come up through the grades and learn all the parries and all that. My first ever real fencing experience was at a local competition that I won, and all I knew was not to cross my legs and to hit above the belt. I did it with feeling and since then I've always fenced with 'feeling', hence the fact I jump a lot in my attacks and the fact it's not academic." (Slicer Sabre YouTube channel, 01 Oct 2023)

OCCUPATION
In 2023 he joined France's national police service, Police Nationale, as an operational reserve. The role allows him to work alongside his training and competition commitments. (police-nationale.interieur.gouv.fr, 28 Mar 2024; Instagram profile, 10 Feb 2023)