Valentine’s Day is a great time to recognize the intense passion that players have for their respective sports. Olympians like Josh Kerr and Kevin Mayer share what they value most about their athletic endeavors—whether it was love at first sight or a more gradual relationship.
This is a celebration of these athletes’ ongoing relationship with their sports. We adore watching the romantic tales that emerge on the fields and in stadiums around Valentine’s Day, as athletes give their all to the sports that are precious to them.
As the highly anticipated Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 draw closer, let’s celebrate the passion that some of the best athletes in the world have for their sports. In athletics, as in matters of the heart, spectacular stories can arise from chance meetings.
Laurin the fine example
Althéa Laurin, a renowned taekwondo practitioner from France, is a prime illustration of this. Laurin almost missed the opportunity to take up taekwondo, even though she earned a bronze medal in Tokyo 2020 and rose to the top as the world champion in 2023. Although her mother had first encouraged her to pursue karate, she ended up taking a taekwondo class after making a coincidental error while waiting at the neighborhood club.
she said; “On the first day, we did some stretching exercises and I seemed to have an aptitude for it. We played a few games, and it was through having a lot of fun that I really got into the sport. I was feeling good about it and in the end I never changed sport.” an article from olympics.com mentioned.
Koumba Larroque’s journey into the realm of professional wrestling was unique. The French athlete’s journey into the sport began when she followed in her brothers’ footsteps, but the magic that drew her to wrestling is similar to that of her countryman Laurin. Larroque’s wrestling narrative is distinguished by its distinct fusion of ancestral influence and personal connection. It presents a journey in which tradition and personal affinity meld together to create an engrossing drama on the wrestling mat.
Cover Photo: IG