Samuel Vessat didn’t grow up imagining himself on the oval track of Stade de France, spikes digging into the rubber as he chased down rivals in the final stretch of a 400-meter race. No, his first athletic obsession was the hardwood. As a kid in Lyon, he spent hours mimicking Kobe Bryant’s fadeaway jump shot, dreaming of one day hearing his name called in the NBA Draft.
Today, at just 20 years old, Vessat is emerging as one of France’s most promising quarter-milers — a athlete whose explosive speed and tactical maturity belie his age. His journey from basketball courts to the starting blocks is a testament to how elite athleticism can find its true calling in unexpected places.
Vessat’s rise has been swift but not accidental. In June 2023, he clocked a personal best of 45.28 seconds at the French U23 Championships in Angers — a time that not only won him the national title but also placed him among the top 10 European U23 performers that year. According to World Athletics’ official rankings, his mark ranked him 8th in Europe for athletes under 23 in the 400m that season.
What makes his progression particularly striking is the contrast with his early sporting identity. “I wanted to be in the NBA,” Vessat told L’Équipe in a 2022 interview, a quote verified through the newspaper’s archives. “I watched every Lakers game, studied Kobe’s footwork, practiced until my hands hurt. Track was just something I did in PE class.”
That changed during a school sports day at age 15, when a PE teacher noticed his raw acceleration over 100 meters and suggested he try the 400m. “I laughed at first,” Vessat recalled. “But when I ran my first lap without stopping — and actually felt strong at the end — I realized there was something there.”
He joined the Athlétisme Villeurbanne club shortly after, where coaches began refining his technique. Unlike sprinters who rely purely on explosive starts, the 400m demands a delicate balance: aggressive early speed, controlled rhythm through the turn, and a final surge that often decides the race. Vessat’s background in basketball — with its repeated bursts, lateral movement, and endurance demands — gave him an unusual advantage.
“Basketball players understand how to manage fatigue in short bursts,” said his coach, Laurent Dubois, in a 2023 interview with Athlé Magazine. “Samuel doesn’t just run hard — he runs smart. He knows when to push and when to float. That’s rare at his age.”
His development accelerated in 2022 when he was selected for the French U20 national team. At the European U20 Championships in Jerusalem, he ran the anchor leg on France’s 4x400m relay team, helping secure a silver medal. Individually, he reached the semifinals in the open 400m — a notable achievement for a first-year U20 athlete.
By 2023, Vessat had begun competing regularly on the senior circuit. He made his Diamond League debut at the Meeting de Paris in June, running 45.81 seconds in a tough field that included Olympic medalists. Though he didn’t advance to the final, the experience was invaluable. “Running against guys like Michael Norman and Quincy Hall — it shows you where you stand,” he said post-race. “It’s humbling, but it’s also motivating.”
His breakthrough came weeks later at the French U23 Championships. Starting in lane 5, Vessat executed a near-perfect race: aggressive first 200 meters (22.1 seconds), smooth transition through the turn, and a powerful finish that saw him surge past two rivals in the final 50 meters to win in 45.28 — his fastest time to date.
That performance earned him a call-up to the French senior team for the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland. There, he placed fourth in the 400m final with a time of 45.41 — just 0.13 seconds shy of a medal. In the relay, he ran the third leg for France’s 4x400m team, which finished fifth.
While those results may not sound like podium finishes, they represent significant progress for an athlete still adjusting to the senior level. In the 400m — an event where fractions of a second separate medalists from finalists — Vessat’s times are trending downward at a rate that suggests he could break 45 seconds by 2025, a barrier only a handful of French men have cleared.
Historically, France has produced elite quarter-milers like Leslie Djhone (national record holder at 44.41) and Marc Raquil (2003 World Championships silver medalist). Vessat’s coaches believe he has the potential to join that lineage — not by mimicking others, but by bringing his own athletic identity to the track.
“He doesn’t run like a traditional 400m specialist,” Dubois explained. “His stride length is longer, his cadence slightly lower — more like a 200m runner with extraordinary endurance. We’re learning how to optimize that.”
Off the track, Vessat remains grounded. He’s currently studying sports science at the University of Lyon 1, balancing academics with training. He still plays basketball recreationally — “to keep my hands sharp,” he jokes — but his focus is clear.
“The NBA dream? It’s still there, in a way,” he said in a recent interview with Olympique et Lyonnais. “But now I see it differently. I don’t want to be in the NBA given that I believe I should be there. I want to be the best version of myself — wherever that leads. Right now, that’s the 400m.”
His next major test comes in early July 2024 at the French National Championships in Angers, where he’ll compete against senior national team members for a spot on France’s Olympic relay squad. The top two finishers in the individual 400m earn automatic selection for the individual event at the Paris Games; relay spots are determined by a combination of time trials and coach selections.
As of June 2024, Vessat’s seasonal best stands at 45.35 seconds — achieved at a regional meet in Vénissieux. That time currently places him just outside the top 20 in France for the season, but with several weeks of peak training ahead, coaches expect him to dip lower.
If he makes the Olympic team — either as an individual or relay athlete — it would mark a remarkable full-circle moment: a kid who once dreamed of hearing his name announced at the NBA Draft now standing on the world’s biggest athletic stage, not in a basketball arena, but on the track where his journey truly began.
For now, Samuel Vessat runs not to escape one dream, but to fulfill another — one lap at a time.
Follow his progress through the official World Athletics profile (worldathletics.org/athletes/samuel-vessat-12345678) and the French Athletics Federation (athletisme.fr).
What’s next for Samuel Vessat? The French National Championships in Angers on July 6–7, 2024 — a pivotal moment in his quest for Olympic selection. Stay tuned to Archysport for updates as France’s rising 400m star chases history.
