SERIES. Perrine Laffont is playing her third Olympic Games this winter in Beijing at only 23 years old. The only athlete in the French delegation from the Pyrenees, now based in Annecy, gave an exceptional interview to France Bleu. Here is the first episode, “Pépette”.
Perrine Laffont, specialist in mogul skiing, won everything. Olympic gold, World Cups, etc. At 23, the Ariège skier from the Monts d’Olmes is preparing to compete in her third Olympiad and will try to retain her title. Before leaving for Beijing, she gave France Bleu an exceptional interview, at the microphone of Julien Balidas. Five episodes to get to know “Pépette” better.
Episode 1: “Pépette”
Here is the first episode of our series dedicated to Perrine Laffont. She first talks about her childhood and the place where it all began: the resort of Monts d’Olmes in Ariège.
His mother: “Perrine with a big heart”
To find out a little more about Perrine Laffont, we first went through the family box: “Perrine has a very good character but a bad character. She is very sweet, very attentive to others. _it’s Perrine with a big heart_. She likes to tease, laugh… She’s a pretty person but with a strong character”, lets go of his mother Dominique, living in Lavelanet.
Respondent’s response:It’s still a pretty positive description.”smiles Perrine Laffont before delving into memories. “My parents were really into skiing, my father was an instructor. Every winter, he spent his weeks in the Monts d’Olmes. As soon as I knew how to walk, they put skis on my feet. skiing from morning to evening. As soon as the station was closed, we went tobogganing or snowshoeing. Or skiing up the slopes on foot.”
– Grégory YETCHMENIZA
Jean-Michel Banon: “As soon as she woke up…”
Perrine spent her winters with her family in this Monts d’Olmes resort. She comes back very often and some have seen her grow. Jean-Michel Banon has run the “Le Mouflon” equipment rental shop for almost 40 years and provided him with his first skis: “We saw Perrine when she was very young. She was just starting to walk that she was already there with her mother and father, who is still a monitor here by the way. As soon as she woke up it was either skis or snowshoes. It’s just a joy to see her on TV and win almost every race. It’s a whole region that is behind her, we follow her as soon as we can. This is happiness.”
– Julien Balidas
“Just because you come from a small resort doesn’t mean you can’t become a great champion”
A discreet and family environment that made Perrine Laffont an Olympic champion: “It’s a whole entourage that is behind me. 15 years later, they are still going full throttle. Les Monts d’Olmes is a small family resort where everyone knows each other. It’s not big industry skiing that sees millions of tourists pass by. That’s what makes the beauty of this resort and makes it so special. It’s my favorite resort. It’s where my dream of becoming a great skier began. It is known internationally now (laughs)! Often, there is this cliché of great athletes who come from the big resorts and who have descended the big slopes very young. I come from a fairly discreet resort and it is all the more more pride in saying that just because you come from a small resort doesn’t mean you can’t become a great champion.”