Livarot Pays d’Auge: Eloi Le Secq is vice-champion of France in badminton

For the Le Secqs, badminton is a family affair. The father, Sébastien, created the club of Livarot (Calvados), today integrated into the Pays d’Auge badminton with the clubs of Lisieux and Moyaux. The mother, Irene, is an active leader. And all four kids teased driving from an early age.

Among the twelve best French

One of them, Eloi, seems to have a bright future. Ranked among the twelve best French players in his category, the 12-year-old boy is now vice-champion of France in doubles. A medal gleaned with the Caennais Arthur Canivet during the French youth badminton championships, which took place from May 18 to 21 in Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin). “It’s good to have reached the final, but I was still disappointed to have lost. We were beaten 2 sets to 1, it was tight” he underlines.

Constant progress

For his second participation in the French championships, the young Livarotais again honored the colors of Pays d’Auge badminton. In Alsace, in addition to the doubles, he reached the 1/8 finals in singles, eliminated by the French number 1 in three sets (21-19 in the third set…) and the 1/4 finals in mixed doubles. Promising results which are part of a constant progression since his first exchanges, at the age of 4 years.

“I started the competition at 6 years old, but I lost all my matches. I was not discouraged and around 7-8 years old, the victories followed one another”.

To the point of becoming departmental and regional champion, in chick and benjamin. With his doubles partner, Arthur Ganivet, the two nuggets of local badminton are struggling.

He dreams of participating in the Olympic Games

Eloi Le Secq trains more than 10 hours a week: in a club, at the hope center in Caen (which he should join in two years) and in the sports section of the college of Livarot. Without ever feeling the slightest weariness. “In the family, we all love badminton but Eloi is perhaps the most keen,” says Irène, his mother. “I watch all the important competitions on You Tube and I know all the players” confirms the person concerned.

Racket in hand, the schoolboy progresses from month to month. “His main quality is ground coverage. He knows how to outsmart the opponent. He causes the fault of the other” explains Antonin Ducellier, his coach from the Pays d’Auge badminton, who also took part in the French championships for young people. Later, Eloi sees himself as a “sports teacher or professional badminton player”. Its medium-term objective? Become champion of France, in minimal, in two years. And in the longer term? “To participate in the Olympic Games”.

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