“This year has been memorable for me, assures Jean-Pierre Le Saout. I was able to participate in the French Masters Championships, category 12, reserved for over 80s. This took place last March in Angers (Maine-et-Loire). And, to my great surprise, I reached the top step of the podium, in the 50 and 200 m butterfly. With this distinction, the swimmer, who trains in La Forêt-Fouesnant (Finistère), is qualified to participate in the European Championships in Rome in August. The event is more complex and the competition fiercer. Despite everything, Jean-Pierre finished in the honorable place of 3rd in the 100m butterfly. “In Rome, everything was grandiose, from the Colosseum to the Sistine Chapel. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t win. I didn’t come with that in mind. The most important thing is to say to myself that at my age, I can still do this kind of competition. »
From professor of theoretical mechanics to ice dancer
Jean-Pierre Le Saout learned to swim at the age of 12, on Vieux Saint-Marc beach, in Brest. He practices a little sailing, mainly cruises between Port-la-Forêt and the Isles of Scilly. “I then found myself in Rouen, in Seine-Maritime, where I taught theoretical mechanics. I took advantage of the holidays to reach the ocean. He left his job as a teacher after thirty years and chose to work in an ice rink in Le Mans (Sarthe). “I took care of the ice and I also learned to dance on this surface. In 2002, he joined the Le Mans swimming club, Masters category, and took part in the European Championships in Holland in 2013 and in the European Championships in London in 2016. After his victories this year 2022, the gold medalist does not intend to stop there.
Already, Jean-Pierre Le Saout has returned to training. He is determined to take part in the French and European Championships in his category, perhaps varying the choice of stroke. “I am now almost full-time at the Forêt-Fouesnant. I particularly like Kerleven beach because of its low tidal range. I intend to swim this winter, with a wetsuit of course. And then, if it’s too cold, head for the pool. Besides swimming, Jean-Pierre has a dream: to learn wakeboarding and wing-foiling. ”That doesn’t seem unattainable to me, despite my age. It will be the flight of the butterfly! »
