Angèle Hug.

Olympic medal-winning kayaker

My first real memory is of a childhood moment in the Ardèche. My brother had just got out of his kayak, my parents had their backs turned and I snatched the opportunity. I took his paddle, got into his kayak and must only have gone a couple of metres… but I felt as if I’d really escaped! I was four or five years old and that moment just above the Pont d’Arc remains etched into my memory.

I’ve always known kayaking. My parents didn’t do it competitively, but they used to accompany my brother, who did so regularly. He was six years older than me and seeing him get better at it on beautiful rivers made me want to explore that world.

Sport has always been a part of our family life: my parents did a lot of climbing, and we always watched the Olympic Games. Little by little, my passion for the river transformed into a love of competition, until my Olympic dream was born.

Cycling has been part of my training ever since middle school, when my coach introduced us to mountain biking and orienteering. I love doing it, not only for the pleasure it gives me but because it’s an excellent complement to kayaking. There’s a real affinity between the two: handling the handlebars and the dexterity with the arms.

Even after all these years, I’m still learning on the water. Kayaking is an incredibly technical sport, a little like surfing: the water is always stronger than you, and you have to play with it rather than against it.