Julie Paturau: Mauritius' second generation Olympian ready for kite foiling debut

Neither did she imagine she would be carrying on a family legacy, with mum Pascale having competed in windsurfing for the tiny island nation at Barcelona 1992.

The younger Paturau secured her place in the Paris Olympics by winning the African Kite Foil Championship title in December and is set to travel to France as the continent’s first-ever representative in kite foiling at this summer’s Games.

This is how she got there:

With the tide

Growing up in Mauritius, inches away from the Indian Ocean, Paturau spent countless hours on the water.

From kitesurfing and swimming to wakeboarding and water skiing, the 23-year-old has done it all, creating unforgettable memories with her family.

And it’s these experiences that birthed Paturau’s lifelong passion for all things water sports.

She revealed: ‘‘We had a very fortunate childhood. We had a house on the beach, I mean, there’s barely a beach, the water touches the wall!

‘‘My parents were into water sports, my mum into kitesurfing, and my dad into water skiing, so we were always in the water. We had boats so we could learn how to kite, learn how to ski.

‘‘I was very fortunate. A childhood in Mauritius is pretty magical.’’

Almost two decades on, Paturau will now represent Mauritius in Paris in kite foiling, yet for all her experience on the water, the process of qualifying had its challenges, with sailing the one skill absent from her repertoire at sea.

Uncharted waters

Paturau first took an interest in kite foiling after learning from teammate Jean de Falbaire of the sport’s introduction to the Olympic programme in Paris 2024 a few years ago.

And for all her time spent on the water so far, the Olympic hopeful’s journey to Paris began in earnest in 2021.

She added: ‘‘Back then, I didn’t know how to foil. I had seen the boys do it in Mauritius, but it was a very scary sport for me. I wasn’t interested in racing or regattas. Kite-surfing was more chilling and relaxing, and I was doing it for fun.

‘‘I had never really been into sailing in general. I had done minimal sailing and that made it a bit difficult racing because I didn’t have that experience that others might have.

‘‘It was a hard learning process. I knew how to fly a kite but with kite foiling it was starting from zero and learning how to foil behind a boat at first. It was frustrating at the beginning.’’

Sink or swim

Adding to the challenge was juggling practice with school after making the switch from Mauritius to Australia in 2019 to study chiropady at university.

But through her own efforts and the support of friends and family, especially mum Pascale, the 23-year-old conquered every challenge that came her way.

She graduated last year and now holds a license as a practicing chiropractor in Australia, all while successfully pursuing her Olympic dream.

Not bad for someone who arrived in the country with only a basic proficiency in English.

The Mauritian said: ‘‘It was very stressful. I was studying on the side and doing all these things I didn’t want to stop but I think my mum pushing me and telling me to believe in myself until the end was what got me here.

‘‘Because she had been at the Games already, she knew about the opportunity that came up and she wanted me to have the same experience.

‘‘I always believe that if you think you can do it, you can make it work and that’s how I’ve done it. It’s possible to study and do a sport on the side, but I’m happy this year I don’t have to study anymore, and I can just focus on my sport!’’

Family Matters

This summer Paturau will do exactly that, competing in Paris 2024 as Mauritius and Africa’s sole representative in the women’s Kite.

She will also be the second generation of her family to compete at a Games after her mother’s 1992 appearance, and while not yet born at the time, her mother’s achievement left an indelible impression on the younger Paturau.

She recalled: ‘‘I remember my mum putting on the windsurfing on TV for us to watch where she’s been as well because back when she did it, it was hard to find images.

‘‘It was always exciting knowing the Olympics were coming up because we were going to watch it as a family and it’s weird thinking I’m going to be part of something so big.

‘‘It’s really exciting. I feel like I still don’t realise it. To represent Mauritius is already such an honour because we’re such a small island but the idea of representing the whole continent of Africa is really exciting and I’m really proud.’’