“My mother rowed at Cercle Nautique Verdunois, our local club, when she was young. That’s where she met my father. And one of my uncles was licensed there too—in fact he won a world title in 1996.” Like all young rowers, Valentin had t,o wait until he was 12 or 13—old enough to be on his own in the water—to practice it as a discipline, which he did with his brother. But it seems clear that this French champion, born in 1993, has rowing in his genes.

But apart from his family history, rowing appealed to Valentin as a source of friendship and community. “Let’s be honest: it’s not the most glamourous sport when you’re a kid. You’re always wet and your hands are covered with blisters.” But a week-long training camp in England was enough to win him over when he was still in the Cadet category. “We were a bunch of kids, having the time of our lives. It was incredible. And when I came home, I realized I wanted to do it all over again.” 
A few years on, after training repeatedly with France’s national team, Valentin has long list of titles to his credit.

“Today I work in customer relations for regional rail in Nancy. But I’d like to keep learning and growing my career at SNCF, because being part of the Athletes programme also means paying it forward in a few years. Thanks to SNCF, I can immerse myself in elite sport now.”