Léa LEMARE
Ski jumper

Léa received a grant to finance her sporting season and prepare for the Olympic Games. 

What is your sporting background ?
I started ski jumping at the age of six at the Courchevel Sports Club. Between the ages of five and seven, children enter a group called "evolution" where they discover all the sports available at the club. We were a small group of 6-7 friends so we tried all the sports. Without hesitation, we chose jumping, it was a fun sport, the atmosphere was great, our coach Tony was great! I then joined the French team, at the age of 14, and that same summer I achieved my first international podium (2nd in the European Cup). The rest of my trajectory was straightforward: I combined my studies with sport, at school and university. I took part in my first world championships at the age of 15, and I made several top 10s in the world cup. In the winter of 2014, for the first time in the history of women's ski jumping, the discipline entered the Olympic Games. At the age of 17, I was able to take part in the first Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. I finished 20th. It was an incredible experience that made me realise how much I wanted to succeed in this sport. Today, I am still in the French team, on the World Cup circuit, and I participated a second time in the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. This second experience has once again brought me a lot, both on a sporting and a human level. My motivation is strong and I have the feeling that I still have a lot to achieve in this sport. 

How do you see your profession today ?
Women's ski jumping is a discipline in full swing. Since I was 14, I've had the chance to take part in its evolution, the first world championships, the first world cups, the first Olympic Games… It's really a pleasure to see that this sport is constantly evolving, the level is increasing every year, the competition is tougher and tougher, the objectives are ever more important... I think that there are still some very good years to come. 

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
In five years, I will be 27 and three world championships and the Olympic Games of 2022 will be behind me. I sincerely hope that I will have achieved great things in this sport and why not, if all goes well, continue for a few more years. In 10 years’ time, I hope first of all that I will have made history in my sport and that I will fully enjoy my ‘retirement’ as a top-level sportswoman with many plans ahead: travelling, starting a family, creating a company, enjoying life!

This interview was conducted in 2015
Photo credit: Rémi Chapeaublanc