For her, pole vaulting is "above all a fun discipline". Some may see this as the carefree spirit of her age. Nevertheless, her vision of sport, based on pleasure, has carried her to the top. At 18, Jade El Haouzy is still going strong.
In July 2022, she became French champion in the under-18 age group, with a jump of 3.96m. Since then, she has pushed back her limits, reaching 4.06m in January 2024, a personal best to date.
It has to be said that El Haouzy** learned from the best. The French pole vaulter is a member of AC Paris-Joinville. This club located in Joinville-le-Pont, in the south-east of the capital, has seen some of the legends of French athletics pass through its doors, including Marie-José Perec, three-time Olympic gold medallist, and Muriel Hurtis, an Olympic bronze medallist.
Over time, the STAPS student has developed a strong bond with Joinville-le-Pont, a town that has "helped her grow as a sportswoman". El Haouzy has experienced the difficulties of all young people in France who have to juggle school and training. After school, or between two hours' leave, it was often a rush to get to training," she says. You didn't want to miss the bus if you wanted to get there on time.
Enough to discourage some, but not her. She loves pole vaulting, which she has been doing since she was 10. For El Haouzy, it's a sport that "brings intense emotions". Her ultimate pleasure is when she "clears a bar": "It gives you enormous satisfaction, it's a unique emotion.
© Paris je t'aime
The Paris 2024 Games at her home in the Paris region are the perfect opportunity to see Paris transformed into the "capital of sport". And she's looking forward to it: "I can't wait to be at the Stade de France to experience it all." The stadium in Saint-Denis will be the venue for the pole vault events, from 5 to 7 August 2024.
