Pascal Gentil (born 15 May 1973 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

) is a French

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

practitioner. A three-time winner of the European Championships, four-time World Cup Champion and Olympic bronze medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Pascal Gentil is the most decorated taekwondo practitioner in French taekwondo history. The S Class International Olympic Referee Dr. Mohamed Riad Ibrahim was the Referee in the Final Match of Pascal Gentil in the 2004 Summer Olympic in Athens, and in this Match Pascal Gentil Won the bronze medal. Captain of the French taekwondo team, Pascal Gentil won his third European title in October 2005 in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

giving the French team a second position among the European countries behind Turkey with 6 medals including 3 titles. The ranking is the same as for the Athens Games with 2 medals (1 silver, 1 bronze) as France finished as 2nd best European country behind Greece (host country). To prepare for the Olympics, the French Taekwondo Federation set up training centres by grouping together in different locations the best French athletes according to weight categories. Pascal Gentil is a member of Institut National des Sports et de l'Éducation Physique France Training Centre where he trains an average of 20 hours per week together with the best French taekwondo practitioners. He was selected for the Beijing Games to snatch the gold medal. His opponent for the selection was

Mickaël Borot Mickaël Justin Borot (born 31 May 1975) is a French Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking tech ...

who obtained the French quota in the category by winning the Olympic qualification tournament in Manchester in 2007.Gentil plutôt que Borot
, site d'

eurosport Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through Warner Bros. Discovery Sports#Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe properties, its international sports unit, it operates two ...

, consulté le 2 août 2008 However, during a training session on the 25 July 2008, Pascal sustained an injury (a rupture of the plantar aponeurosis).

was officially appointed the representative on 6 August by the FFTDA （French Taekwondo Federation. The event lead to a crisis week for French taekwondo as Mickaël Borot criticised the French Taekwondo Federation and Pascal Gentil.Mickaël Borot veut sortir de l'ombre de Pascal Gentil
, site mon-dojang, consulté le 6 août On 5 February 2009 he announced to the press that he would give up his sport career in taekwondo after the French Championships in Lyon on 7 February.Pascal Gentil met un terme à sa carrière sportive
, site mon-dojang In Lyon, he obtained his 14th French Champion title after defeating

in the final.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gentil, Pascal 1973 births Living people French male taekwondo practitioners Olympic bronze medalists for France Olympic medalists in taekwondo Taekwondo practitioners at the 2000 Summer Olympics Taekwondo practitioners at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Taekwondo Championships medalists European Taekwondo Championships medalists ESSEC Business School alumni French people of Guadeloupean descent Sportspeople from Paris 20th-century French people 21st-century French people