Having switched to modern pentathlon after starting out in swimming, Élodie Clouvel is one of the best French chances of a medal at the 2024 Olympics.
Élodie Clouvel was born on January 14, 1989 in Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, a small town in the Loire department. The daughter of two professional long-distance runners, she was brought up on athletic effort from a very young age. Although she had practiced several sports since her early childhood, she began to dream of the Olympic Games during Laure Manaudou’s exploits in Athens in 2004. Determined to swim in the footsteps of the Olympic champion, at the age of 14 she joined the swimming sports-study program in Font-Romeu, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. With her baccalaureate in her pocket, she joined the team of Philippe Lucas, Laure Manaudou’s long-standing coach, in Canet-en-Roussillon. Unfortunately, after a year of hard work, she failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.
2008). Contacted by the Triathlon and Pentathlon Federations, in particular thanks to her high running skills and her title of French cross-country champion in UNSS, she left the pools on the advice of Philippe Lucas, who did not want to keep her in his team. To the surprise of her loved ones, this fan of the Saint-Étienne Sports Association finally opted for the pentathlon in order to overcome a trauma. At the age of 12, accompanied by a friend who had just got her horse, she lied to her parents to spend the afternoon in the countryside. The ride ended with a fall and a head injury. She admitted much later that it took her five years to feel completely comfortable on a horse, while athletes cannot choose their mount during modern pentathlon competitions. And if this discipline remains her main hobbyhorse, she must also catch up in fencing and sport shooting, two sports unknown before her time in the
discipline. Driven by her thirst for success, her love of sport and her hard work, she quickly became a world reference in modern pentathlon.
What is Elodie Clouvel’s track record?
Since 2012, Élodie Clouvel has been vice-champion of Europe (2015), has won two silver medals at the world championships (2016 and 2021) and was crowned gold at the Ankara World Cup (2022). Although she has participated in the last three Olympic Games, she has, for the moment, only won a silver medal in Rio (2016).
Who is Elodie Clouvel’s partner?
For several years, Élodie Clouvel has been in a relationship with Valentin Belaud, also a pentathlete and who has two individual world champion titles (2016 and 2019). After the Tokyo Olympics, the couple had the pain of facing a miscarriage.
What is Elodie Clouvel’s salary?
The athlete does not make a full living from his sport despite the support of sponsors (Le Coq Sportif,
Engie…). In civilian life, Élodie Clouvel is a lieutenant in the gendarmerie.
What will Elodie Clouvel’s post-career be like?
While she could well retire at the end of the Paris OlympicsElodie Clouvel
would like to live a post-career in front of the cameras. For several years, she followed the
Simon’s course with the aim of trying an adventure in cinema.