Théophile Onfroy
Meet rower Théophile Onfroy, 2017 European silver medallist and 2018 bronze medallist at the World Championships—and service manager at our Nancy station.
Théophile and Valentin Onfroy - help from the SNCF Athletes Scheme during the crisis
His career
Like his younger brother Valentin—his rowing partner and fellow member of the SNCF Athletes programme—Théophile Onfroy has rowing in his genes. By the time he was 13, he had followed in his parents’ footsteps and become an active member of Cercle Nautique Verdunois, their local club.
Théophile is deeply attached to his family and his home region. After training in Brittany for a season, he has now returned to Lorraine to join Valentin at the Pôle France athlete training centre in Nancy.
In the same boat
When Théophile and Valentin Onfroy pull together, medals are never far behind. Most recently, they took the bronze in the men’s coxless pair event at the 2018 World Championships, but Théophile, now 26, has raised his sights. Captivated by the bronze-winning performance of French rowers Benjamin Rondeau and Germain Chardin (also an SNCF employee) at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he dreams of winning a medal with his brother.
“You have to have a goal, including beyond rowing”
“I’ve been very lucky. I haven’t just rowed with [Rondeau and Chardin]: I’ve listened to them—a lot. They showed me that you always have to have a goal, including beyond rowing”, he confides. Which includes SNCF, where Théophile is an operations manager at Nancy station.
River and rail
“Since I joined the SNCF Athletes programme in 2018, I feel that I’ve got the right balance in my life. I still have training and practice, of course, but my mind is also focused on my responsibilities at the station—managing employees, keeping everyone safe and guiding customers”, Théophile explains.
Thanks to their new life, balanced between rowing and SNCF, the Onfroy brothers can “continue writing this exciting story together—and enjoy it!”
His titles
2023
6th place, coxled four (M4x) at European Championships in Munich, Germany
2019
Gold medal, coxless pair (M2-), French Championships
2018
Bronze medal, M2-, World Championships
Silver medal and bronze medal, M2-, World Championships
Silver medal, double sculls, European Championships
2017
Silver medal, M2-, European Championships
Gold medal and bronze medal, M2-, World Cup
2016
11th place, coxless four, at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Bronze medal, BLM4-, European Championships
2015
Silver medal, M2-, World Championships
Silver medal, M2- ; European Championships