100 days before the start of the 2024 Olympics, Tuesday, France 24 looks at athletes who could fly the colors of France in Paris. Their names are Félix and Alexis Lebrun and they excel in their discipline, ping-pong. Coming from a family of high-level table tennis players, these two young phenomena are today among the best in the world. And they don’t intend to stop there.
“It’s really nice to see that there are so many people today.” Alexis and Félix Lebrun feel at ease on April 4 in the Carrefour Les Ulis hypermarket in the south of Paris. Invited for an exhibition by one of their sponsors for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the two brothers happily joined in the game.
Between two shelves set up for the occasion, the French ping-pong phenomena exchange a few balls with each other, before doing the same with dozens of supporters who have specially come to meet them. Photos, autographs, words of encouragement… Alexis and Félix are raising a strong outpouring of sympathy a few months before the Olympic Games.
It must be said that both phenomena have seen their notoriety skyrocket in recent years thanks to their early performances and their meteoric progression – still beyond 1,000th place in the world two years ago, and today ranked among the best table tennis players.
The French ping-pong phenomena, the brothers Alexis and Félix Lebrun, in exhibition at Carrefour Les Ulis a few months before the Olympics. Portrait of a family of table tennis players who manage to come soon to @France24_fr pic.twitter.com/KipHUi6leh
— Jean-Luc Mounier (@mounierjl) April 4, 2024
At 20, Alexis Lebrun is already 21e mondial, triple French champion (2022, 2023, 2024), as well as French champion in doubles (2021) and mixed doubles (2022). His little brother, Félix, is already twice French doubles champion at 17 (2022, 2023) and won the European Games in 2023. He is currently 5th in the worldwhich makes him the fourth Frenchman to reach this level in the history of ping-pong and the third youngest player to reach the top 5 in the world.
Ping-pong “is part of our history”
It’s difficult to tell them apart, however, because they look so similar: both were born in Montpellier, are blond, wear rectangular black glasses and are almost the same height – 1.80 m for Alexis and 1.78 m for Félix. Even their voice tone is similar. Above all, the two brothers share the same family history centered around… ping-pong.
“Our discovery of this sport was very simple,” explains Félix. “Our father (Stéphane Lebrun, former 7th French and French doubles champion in 1997, Editor’s note) was a player and coach, there were rackets everywhere in our house and we just took them for fun. As we liked it, we went to play in a club afterwards.”
Their father explained to Franceinfo in 2022: “They have always been immersed in it, we constantly talk about it, but it is a game above all, it is what transpires from them.”
In addition to their father, the two brothers were also supervised from their childhood by their uncle Christophe Legoût – a former table tennis player who was notably 17th in the world, triple French champion (2005, 2010, 2011) and ten times French champion in doubles between 1996 and 2014. “He was able to explain to us a little what the high level, share all his experience with us. It was a huge plus because we saved (learning) time,” continues Félix.
Alexis also recognizes the importance of this family DNA of ping-pong in their trajectory: “It is part of our history, it is certain that they (the father and the uncle, Editor’s note) have contributed enormously to us and that We built our entire progression around that.”
It is quite natural that the two brothers will choose proximity and train at the Alliance Montpellier Nîmes Table Tennis club, to the detriment of very high-level federal structures such as Insep. “We wanted to stay in Montpellier because there is a great training center that has been created there,” summarizes Alexis, who also specifies that he is traveling more than 200 days a year with his brother for the competitions. “We also stayed to be able to continue to be with family, to have these discussions with our father, with our uncle. And so far, it’s worked well.”
Fraternity at a high level, “a treat”
Since then, the two brothers have climbed the ranks at great speed in the youth and senior categories. Their aura – which can lead spectators to travel 300 km to come see them play in Montpellier – has gone far beyond the borders of the Hérault department, in particular thanks to their remarkable performances in competition.
The Lebrun siblings are now feared in China, a nation devoted to first places and Olympic gold medals in ping-pong. Especially since Alexis’ victory against table tennis player Fan Zhendong – then world number 1 and currently 2nd – in Macau in April 2023, which saw a great international impact.
The two brothers also distinguished themselves on the national scene, such as during the final of the French championships last March. Coincidentally with the calendar, Alexis and Félix faced each other at home, in Montpellier. And it was the eldest who finally won the match 4 sets to 2, climbing onto the ping-pong table with his fists clenched to celebrate his victory while his brother burst into tears.
Alexis Lebrun is a three-time French champion!
Victory 4 sets to 2 for the eldest sibling, who jumps on the table to celebrate.
What a final between the two players! pic.twitter.com/qJSdPwvv3T— the L’Équipe channel (@lachainelequipe) March 24, 2024
Does this scene suggest a semblance of competition? Not for Félix, for whom the high-level career “is a treat” in the company of Alexis. “Being a brother is a plus. This is what allowed us to progress, especially during confinement,” he confides. “There were two of us, we could train, we had a table at home, so we were lucky to be able to continue to move forward and push each other. And now it’s just a treat to be able to travel with him all the time and play big competitions together.”
The two brothers do not forget to joke about their respective status. “Recently, I lost against Alexis, he already has three French championship titles and I don’t have any. But maybe I also have the ranking, I’m a little ahead,” laughs Félix.
Regardless, both are applying to represent France at the Olympic Games this summer. But they are not yet guaranteed to be there. Especially Alexis who is only four places ahead of another Frenchman, Simon Gauzy (25th in the world) – while only the two best French people in the world rankings will be registered in men’s singles on June 18.
In the meantime, the two brothers will still have a few more competitions to compete in to get their ticket. “We still have 100 days to arrive as strong as possible at the Olympic Games, so we will work hard,” explains Alexis. Félix is “looking forward to it”: “The Olympics are sure to make you dream.” And the brothers still plan to follow the same recipe: “Have fun and train.” The carelessness of talent is perhaps ultimately the key to their success.
