Originally from Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, this town represents more than just a place of residence for her. "Saint-Maur is a town that I love very much. It's where I decided to live. It's a very friendly town where you can feel the atmosphere of a small town, a village surrounded by the Marne", she explains.
This peaceful, serene environment provides her with an ideal living environment, conducive to relaxation and concentration. "On my way to training, I really enjoy taking little detours, watching the water flow a little, it's something that soothes me."
With such a family, it could hardly be otherwise. Her mother was vice-president of the badminton section at Racing Club de France, and her father was a badminton coach, so Anne Tran inevitably became a badminton player in her own right. At the Paris 2024 Games, the Frenchwoman will be one of the country's medal hopefuls.
Because Anne Tran is coming to the Games at the best of times. Everything has accelerated for the 28-year-old athlete at the start of 2024. On 14 April, she was crowned European women's doubles champion, along with Margot Lambert.
A first in this category for French badminton. And a few weeks later, at the beginning of June, the French pair reached 14th place in the world rankings, a record in their careers.
Anne Tran has been hitting a shuttlecock since she was a little girl. She is a member of the Racing Club de France, her mother's club and one of the leading clubs in France. It's a place that's close to my heart - I grew up here," she says. It's true that I started my passion in this club, so it's a very important place for me."
To reach the pinnacle of world badminton, she also joined Insep, the nursery of French sport, which notably trained Amélie Mauresmo (tennis) and Teddy Riner (judo).
Anne Tran also had to make a difficult but rewarding career choice. She gave up playing singles to devote herself exclusively to doubles.
© Anne Tran - Gueules de Sport
This year is completely different, with the Paris Games, you can feel the excitement," she confides. Everyone we know is talking about it. The fervour we're feeling makes us really want to be at the Games and be right at the heart of this celebration."
Taking part in the Games on home soil wouldn't just be a celebration for her. It would also be a way of erasing the painful episode of the Tokyo Games in 2021. She had to pull out after her doubles partner at the time, Emilie Lefel, was seriously injured a few months earlier, right in the middle of her bid to qualify for the Olympics.
Now guaranteed a place at the Games in Paris, Anne Tran and Margot Lambert form the first French women's doubles team since the 1992 Games. In terms of French badminton, that's already quite an achievement. But we can imagine her aspiring to much more, with, why not, an Olympic medal around her neck.
