To celebrate the Olympic Games which have just drawn to a close, we're honoring Benoit Merceur, an elite windsurfing and windfoiling athlete! As a second-year engineering student specializing in naval and offshore architecture at ENSTA Bretagne, in early July he took part in the 1st stage of the finned slalom World Cup in the Canary Islands, finishing 5th overall!
©John Carter
As a member of the Pôle France de voile in Brest, Benoit has been windsurfing for 10 years and competes in two disciplines: finned slalom and foil slalom (short races lasting 3 to 6 minutes).
At the beginning of July, he took part in the first stage of the World Cup* finned slalom in the Canaries on the Pozo Izquierdo spot. Benoit had to deal with winds of 45 to 80 km/h and a 2-meter swell in this place, well known for its strong winds and rough seas.
The week-long competition included 10 races. From day one, Benoit put in some excellent performances (coming 10th, 3rd and 5th). He maintained this consistency over the following days, consistently finishing in the top 8 until the end of the week.
At the end of the week, he finished fifth overall, an extremely satisfying result which even exceeded his initial top 15 target!
I'm very happy with this result and to have been consistent under such conditions all week.
The second stage of the competition will take place at the end of July in Fuerteventura, still in the Canary Islands, where he will give his all to achieve the best possible results!
At ENSTA Bretagne, Benoit has managed to strike a balance between studies and sport, thanks to excellent organization and a team he can count on. At ENSTA Bretagne, he benefits from the status of elite sportsman, which enables him to train at the Pôle France in Brest, but also to arrange his studies so that he can take part in training courses and competitions.
It's great that the school has made this possible, and I hope it will continue to do so, to cater for many more athletes in the years to come. I would like to thank the teachers who are supporting me in this dual project. Of course, there are some sacrifices to be made, but I think it's possible to reconcile elite-level sport and studies.
Congratulations again to Benoit for these fine results!
