Maël Lamouret won the recurve gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, defeating Pinan Chen of Chinese Taipei 6-4 in the final on Sunday as reported by actu.fr.
Path to the final
The 17-year-old archer, who grew up in Vexin-sur-Epte and trained at CSADN Vernon, advanced through the bracket by overcoming several international opponents. He defeated Kouassi Chadrac Yao of Ivory Coast 7-1, Spain’s Rodrigo Palomo Sanchez 6-4, Turkey’s Muhammet Musab Gulay 7-1, and Egypt’s Ismaïl Ezzeldin 6-2 before reaching the title match against Chen.
A tense finish
Lamouret secured the victory under pressure during a fluctuating final sequence. “J’ai bien débuté cette finale avec une première et une quatrième volée à 30 points. Mais la fin de match a été mouvementée. Je débute la dernière manche par un 8 qui aurait pu me coûtter cher. Mais mon adversaire a commis la même erreur à la troisième flèche me laissant l’opportunité d’égaliser et de remporter le match à condition de décocher un 10. Un objectif atteint avec 10 + malgré la pression”, Lamouret told actu.fr.
Athlete targets 2028 Olympic Games after record-breaking season
Now registered with OHS Cherbourg-Octeville and mentored by coach Jérôme Auraix, the young athlete built his momentum during a strong U18 season.
He claimed the team European title in Rome following three medals at the Junior Cup in Bulgaria, and secured the French championship in Saint-Avertin in late July with a score of 687 points at 60 meters, which set a Normandy record just two points shy of Thomas Aubert’s national mark. Those performances earned him admission to INSEP in Paris, and he now targets a spot at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
