Julien Mertine (born 26 June 1988) is a French right-handed

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

fencer, four-time team European champion, 2014 team world champion, and 2021 team

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

champion.

Career

Mertine took up fencing at the age of five with his father, a fencing master who trained amongst others World champion

Victor Sintès Victor Sintès (born 8 August 1980 in Caen, Normandy, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and ...

. When he was eighteen he joined the centre for promising young fencers at

Châtenay-Malabry Châtenay-Malabry () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located 10.8 km (6.7 mi) from the center of Paris. The French writer Chateaubriand lived in the estate ''Vallée-aux-Loups'' at Châtenay-Malabry. The Gar ...

. He earned a team bronze medal at the 2007 Junior European Championships in Prag and at the 2008 Junior World Championships in Acireale. In 2009 he was admitted into

INSEP INSEP, the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (Institut national du sport, de l'expertise et de la performance), is a French training institute and center for excellence in sports that trains elite athletes. It is located on th ...

, a state-sponsored institution for high-performance athletes. Mertine climbed in 2010 his first

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

podium with a bronze medal in Copenhague, and was selected into the France national team as a reserve. His first competition with the team was the 2011 Challenge International in Paris, in which France finished 5th. 117th in world rankings, Mertine won the Havana World Cup that same season after defeating Italy's

Giorgio Avola Giorgio Avola (born 8 May 1989) is an Italian right-handed foil fencer. Avola is a three-time team European champion, 2011 individual European champion, and four-time team world champion. A three-time Olympian, Avola is a 2012 team Olympic c ...

in the final. In the 2012–13 season, he earned a bronze medal in the Seoul World Cup and in the Tokyo Grand Prix, but ceded to Belarus'

Siarhei Byk Siarhei Byk ( be, Сергей Александрович Бык; born 8 July 1990) is a Belarusian foil fencer, member of the national team. Byk earned a silver medal in the 2011 U23 European Championships in Kazan and a bronze medal in the 201 ...

in the first round of the

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

in Zagreb. In the team event, France was overcome by Great Britain in the first round. At the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in Budapest Mertine defeated Great Britain's

Richard Kruse Richard Kruse (born 30 July 1983) is a former British right-handed foil fencer and four-time Olympian. In 2015, he was part of the Great Britain team that shocked Olympic champions Italy to win the first European Games gold in team foil, the fi ...

in the first round, but was then beaten by

Heo Jun Heo Jun (허준, 1539 – 9 October 1615) was a Korean physician. He was the royal chief physician of ''Naeuiwon'' during the reign of King Seonjo and King Gwanghae of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. Biography Heo Jun was born in 1539 to an afflue ...

of South Korea. He was replaced in the team event by

Enzo Lefort Enzo Lefort (born 29 September 1991) is a French right-handed foil fencer. Lefort is a four-time team European champion, 2014 team world champion, and two-time individual world champion. A three-time Olympian, Lefort is a 2016 team Olympic s ...

. He finished the season No.19, his best ranking as of 2014. In the 2013–14 season Mertine won the national French championships after defeating successively

and

Erwann Le Péchoux Erwann Le Péchoux (born 13 January 1982) is a French left-handed foil fencer. Le Péchoux is a four-time team European champion and four-time team world champion. A five-time Olympian, Le Péchoux is a 2016 team Olympic silver medalist and 202 ...

. At the

in Strasbourg he lost 14–15 in the table of 16 to

Alexander Choupenitch Alexander Choupenitch (; born 2 May 1994) is a Czech right-handed foil fencer, two-time Olympian, and 2021 individual Olympic bronze medalist. Personal life Choupenitch is the son of Belarusian-born opera singers who both worked at National T ...

of the Czech Republic. In the team event France defeated the Czech Republic and Italy before prevailing over Italy, allowing Mertine to win his first gold medal in a major event. At the

in Kazan he was defeated 13–15 in the preliminary table of 64 by Israel's

Tomer Or Tomer ( he, תֹּמֶר, , Palm Tree) is an Israeli settlement organized as a moshav in the West Bank. Located in the Jordan Valley next to the Palestinian village of Fasayil, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Counci ...

after leading 13–7. In the team event France defeated Russia in the semi-finals and proceeded to crush China to earn the world title. Mertine passed his fencing master certificate when he was nineteen. He now teaches fencing at his own club in Rueil-Malmaison and at CE Orgeval-Villennes.

Medal Record

Olympic Games

World Championship

European Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup

References

External links

*
Profile
at the European Fencing Championships {{DEFAULTSORT:Mertine, Julien 1988 births Living people French male foil fencers Sportspeople from Saint-Germain-en-Laye Olympic fencers for France Olympic medalists in fencing Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for France