Sailing - Lorenzo Mayer on the road to Los Angeles 2028

Last week, Lorenzo Mayer ended his season with the title of French Junior Champion in ILCA7. "Enough to keep me motivated and get me ready for the Olympics," says the young sailor, who never hides behind his mast when discussing his goals. In fact, to get a taste of what it might be like to take part in the Olympic Games, Lorenzo had the chance to soak up the atmosphere of Paris 2024.
As a mere training partner for the French selection in the ILCA7 category, of course, but it didn't matter. I had a great time on site," he says. It was a great experience for us, because having the games at home meant we were privileged from start to finish. Surfing almost every day with the best in the world was unimaginable a few years ago. It's allowed me to grow and get closer and closer to what I want to achieve. "
Since the spring, Lorenzo has been very active. He took part, as he does every year, in the famous Kiel week (Germany) "classified as a World Cup", he points out. He finished 20th out of 105. An encouraging result, just before the U21 World Championship in Portugal. Among the favorites, Lorenzo is aiming for the podium. The place was special because there was only one tactical choice," remarks the champion. So, as well as being physically strong, you also needed to be mentally strong to be the best and get to the front before everyone else. I got off to a good start in qualifying, but I'm taking too many points and getting further and further behind. "Lorenzo finished 11th out of 155. Not without bitterness. I'm disappointed but not downhearted," he comments. It's the hard law of sport. "And as he concludes: "My road to LA 2028 is paved. "Los Angeles, the city that will host the Games in four years' time. Lorenzo Mayer will then be 24.