Being French champion and not having the means to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics is unfortunately possible. This athlete had to open a prize pool to participate in the Games.
When you are an athlete, obtaining an Olympic medal is a dream, obtaining it in gold is probably the absolute Holy Grail for most athletes who participate in the Olympics. But obtaining a podium or the Olympic title in your own country is an ultimate consecration that few competitors have the chance to experience.
By organizing the Olympic Games in Paris in a few months, France will allow French athletes to realize this ultimate dream, provided of course that they live up to the event on the day of the competition and are qualified for the events by achieving the Olympic minimums.
Jona Aigouy is currently trying to make this dream come true and participate in these Olympics. Aged 24 and originally from Millau (Aveyron), the young woman was crowned French Elite javelin champion in Albi at the end of July 2023, and represents one of France’s best hopes in athletics for these 2024 Games.
But there is a catch: to achieve the performance that will qualify for the Olympics, the athlete must compete all over the world and all this at a cost that the Federation cannot cover. “The Athletics Federation has 32 disciplines, has many athletes to support, but when you are a young athlete who is gaining performance, you need financial support to climb the ladder. This is lacking,” regretted the athlete in comments relayed by Le Parisien.
To achieve her goals, Jona Aigouy therefore relies on generosity. The athlete launched a prize pool on Leetchi to finance her 2024 competition season, during which she will have to travel the world to acquire valuable points. Results of the races: almost 35,000 euros recovered thanks to its prize pool. A sum which is added to her savings which she has put aside for several years, by combining odd jobs, babysitting, a job as a supervisor in a high school and even a stint at a summer camp. last summer.
Jona Aigouy explained that these donations had boosted her “motivation”, a great response to the difficulties of young athletes. “We should be able to concentrate on our performances and our state of form, but we have to manage the extra sporting aspects. This money will give me a breath of fresh air to achieve my goal.” A goal which could also be a great medal for her who received the first international medal during the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2015, the silver medal at the European Espoir Championships in Estonia in 2021 and finally the title of champion of France Elite 2021 and 2023.