Erwan Fischer & Clement Pequin: France superstars carrying the hopes of a nation

Now, a full six years on from that first campaign, they are bidding to bring home Olympic gold on home waters at Paris 2024.

The reigning 49er world champions will arrive in Marseille full of confidence as part of a French sailing team riding the crest of a wave.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by World Sailing 🌎⛵️ (@worldsailingofficial)

 

Finding their feet

Having first begun sailing at the age of eight, Péquin was just 11 when he competed on the waters for the first time, learning his trade in the Optimist.

Fischer also got his first taste of sailing in the Optimist, but felt much more comfortable sailing with a partner.

For 12 years, that partner was Thibault Julien, with the pair notably winning Junior World Championship gold in 2016.

Two years later, Fischer joined forces with Péquin with a specific objective in mind – an Olympic campaign in France.

They had hoped to compete together in Tokyo, but a succession of injuries led to Péquin requiring an operation in 2021.

Even though they had struggled to remain fit, missing out on a first Olympic selection hurt them. Lucas Rual and Émile Amoros were selected in their stead but never really challenged for a podium in Tokyo.

Fischer said: “It was a real disappointment, even though we had only paired up a year before selection. But that failure drove us on, it gave us that rage to improve, to be more consistent. We grew as a result of it.”

 

The first results

After missing out on Tokyo, the pair’s first full season together came the following year. A three-year cycle to be ready for Paris.

If the last 12 months are anything to go by, they certainly are.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by World Sailing 🌎⛵️ (@worldsailingofficial)

Péquin and Fischer were victorious in Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Palma in 2022, a few weeks after a third-place finish at the French Olympic week in Hyères.

Even then, more injuries have disrupted their progress. Péquin suffered a meniscus issue, requiring an operation that put him out for several months, Fischer fell off his bike and needed surgery.

Those obstacles have only made them stronger, however.

Fischer said: “I think one of our strengths has been coping with the injuries. It has always pushed us on. All these challenges mean that we love sailing together.”

In between the injuries, they scooped a silver medal at the Paris Test Event on the Olympic course in the Marseille Marina.

Beaten only by reigning world champions Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken of the Netherlands, it was a signal that Fischer and Péquin were genuine contenders for a global podium.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 49er / 49erFX Class (@49ersailing)

For Péquin, that regatta was the moment they truly started to believe.

He told L’Équipe: “With everything we have gone through since the start of the Olympic cycle, we feel like we have the ability and the guts to go and win gold this summer.

“We know we have the potential to do so. The Test event was the turning point. We felt comfortable in all conditions. If we prepare well for the three remaining months, we will be in position to achieve the unthinkable.”

 

Global contention

They missed out on a Worlds medal later that summer in the Hague, finishing just 13th. However, a year on in Lanzarote, the pair made history.

The duo became the first-ever French crew to claim the global crown in the 49er class, doing so in emphatic fashion, ending a run of three straight titles for their Dutch rivals.

It was an indication of just how good they can be, and backed up their hopes of making it onto the podium in Marseille.

That gold medal also ended any debate over who should represent France in the summer. Rual and Amoros had won the European title in 2023 and were bidding for another go on the Olympic stage. But as reigning world champions, it was inevitable that Fischer and Péquin got the nod.

“What we want is to go and get an Olympic medal. We feel like we can achieve that dream,” said Péquin after being selected.

With plenty of experience of the conditions in Marseille, they should be ready when the regatta gets underway.

And six years on from first competing together, they remain as complementary as ever.

Françoise Le Courtois, France’s 49er coach, told L’Équipe just what makes them work so well together: “They are a super pair with very entrenched personalities. Erwan is instinctive. On the boat he is a cat, he’s really agile. Clément is calmness personified, a real thinker who is has a great vision of his goals.”

The ultimate goal is a gold medal in Paris. After years of injuries and obstacles, that looks closer than ever.