Gaëtan practices archery on horseback, an ancestral discipline that combines horse riding and archery. The young Chaumontais champion who already has an impressive track record introduces us to this sport that is still too little known in France.
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Gaëtan Blot is the guest of Vous sont formidables this Wednesday, April 17. This 18-year-old champion clearly explains his journey and the particularities of his sport while focusing listening and attention with precision and depth.
How not to make the link with his qualities acquired during his experience as a horse archer.
It’s a sport where you need a lot of calm, where you have to be calm and at the same time, you have to be dynamic.
This ancestral discipline was put into practice for war before becoming a sport. Today it consists of shooting at targets as quickly as possible while moving on a galloping horse.
Gaëtan started horse riding at the age of three. Five years later, he watched a video on You Tube and discovered a sport he didn’t know about, horseback archery. For him, it’s a revelation.
That’s what I want to do.
He asks his instructor to accompany him in this discipline. She advises him, first of all, to increase his level on horseback. At the same time, he learned archery on foot. Always motivated to achieve his goal, he combined the two sports and became a horse archer at the age of ten.
He excelled in his discipline and joined the French team, then he was selected for the world championships. His track record continues to grow and he has no intention of stopping there.
- 3rd at the 2022 European Championship in the young rider category (France)
- World vice-champion in 2023 in the senior category (Mongolia)
- 3rd in the world in all categories (Mongolia)
- Participations and podiums in several other international competitions. Italy (1st in 2023), Poland (2nd in 2022)
- Participation in the Junior World Cup in 2019 and 2022
World Championship in Mongolia in 2023 • © Gaëtan Blot
His next goals: to be part of the squad and win a gold medal this year at the European Championship and the World Championship in two years and why not perform a demonstration for the Olympic Games.
A fairly demonstrative, impressive sport that links physical and mental qualities.
In France, more and more equestrian centers are offering horseback archery courses. Currently, there are around 1,500 licensees,”this is still minor, but is increasing more and more. We can clearly see that it’s working.”
When he can, in France, Hungary, Spain, Gaëtan always keeps the same mount. His horse Darwin ar Stivell is his faithful companion.
“We work a lot on classic riding, dressage, show jumping, cross country. There is still awareness raising and special training so that the horse responds only to the legs, to the voice, to the weight of the body. And seen that we do not have the reins, the horse must clearly be at our command and safe.”
When the competitions are too far away, Darwin ar Stivell cannot be on the trip. In Mongolia for example, Gaëtan passed his tests on a horse that had been ridden very little in his life.
The horses there, even if they haven’t been ridden, they have a frame that makes them very nice.
In Mongolia, children aged six or seven gallop on their ponies with bow and arrows at full speed in the middle of the steppes.
The bow must be as simple as possible, with as few accessories as possible to shoot as quickly as possible. For example, instead of having two small rings, there is only one to slide the arrow, saving time and speed.
Aim just at full speed or more slowly but keeping the length. More or less adrenaline or pressure depending on the events.
“Archer on horseback”, the day when the very young Gaëtan, “wanted to do that” while watching a test on You Tube, he was right on target!
Find Gaëtan Blot in the show “You are wonderful”, this Wednesday April 17 at 10:35 a.m. and in replay on france.tv:
The other guests of the week can be found from 10:35 a.m. on France 3 Centre-Val de Loire.
- Monday April 15: François Lorin, mustard producer and creator of Maison Clarance
- Tuesday April 16: Léa, founder of L’rnove in Orléans. She does furniture makeovers.
- Thursday April 18: François Couturier, one of the founders of Orléans jazz club in Orléans.
- Friday April 19: The best moments of the week
Cuisine, nature, sport, culture, themes represented by guests from our regional territory. “You are wonderful” to watch again, in replay on the france.tv website
2024-04-15 04:00:02
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