LARROQUE. Affected by a serious knee injury a few years ago, Koumba Larroque wants to enter the history of wrestling at the Paris Olympics. Biography, record, discover who the French wrestler is.
Biography Koumba Larroque
Koumba Larroque was born on August 22, 1998 in Arpajon, in the Essonne department in the Paris region. In a family focused on sports, young Koumba started wrestling at the age of nine in a rather natural way. A rare thing for a sport that is not very well-publicized and not necessarily attractive to young children. “I got into it because my mother and I would pick up my two older brothers after training,” she explained in 2018. “My younger brother and sister also got into it after me, but in the meantime, everyone stopped, except me.”
It can be said that Koumba Larroque did well to persevere. In the youth categories, she collected European and world titles in cadets and juniors. It was in 2017, at the age of 19, that she competed in her first competitions in seniors and began to make her mark. A bronze medalist in her first world championship that year, she then won silver in 2018 by losing in the final of the World Championships. But this upward trajectory was stopped during this fight, since the Arpajon native seriously injured her right knee (meniscus). She has since suffered from chondropathy (a degeneration of the knee cartilage) despite two operations. “She’s a warrior,” former champion Lise Legrand, bronze medalist in Athens in 2004, explained to Le Monde in 2017.
After managing to recover from this setback, the Frenchwoman returned in time to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and to win the European Championship a few weeks later. Her first and only major title in the senior category so far. In Japan, Koumba Larroque experienced a huge disappointment by losing in the first round. Since then, the French wrestler has continued to collect international medals and has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A competition that she will be playing almost at home, since she is currently training near Bagnolet (Seine-Saint-Denis). A significant advantage to offer herself the most beautiful of medals this summer, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
What is Koumba Larroque’s track record?
Although she is only 25 years old, Koumba Larroque has collected international medals since her emergence at the highest level. The French wrestler has already won four medals at the world championships (silver in 2018 and bronze in 2017, 2022 and 2023) and four at the European championships (gold in 2021, silver in 2018 and bronze in 2017 and 2023). She has also won gold at the military world championships (2018), the U23 European championships (2018) and the U23 world championships (2017 and 2021).
Can Koumba Larroque become the first French wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal?
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are the main goal of her season, and perhaps even of her life. Koumba Larroque hopes to become the first French wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal, this summer at the Arena du Champs-de-Mars, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Hampered by a new shoulder injury during her preparation this winter, the Frenchwoman has not lost sight of her goal. “Tokyo 2020 remains a complicated experience. It was a disappointment after having had good performances, but (…) it is one more step in my journey to reach the ultimate goal, she explained to Olympics.com. Until I have my Olympic medal, all my days will be animated by this quest.”