Badminton: Lucas Mazur wins gold… followed by silver with Faustine Noël

A favorite at the Games

Badminton made its competitive debut in Tokyo… and it’s worth noting that, three years before Paris 2024, the French have been remarkable in anticipating the appearance of this new discipline. Indeed, Lucas Mazur, supported by Banque Populaire Val de France, who came to Japan as the great favorite of the Badminton Tournament in the SL4 class, perfectly lived up to the expectations placed in him. He eliminated his usual competitor, the Indian athlete Tarun, in the semi-finals before winning the final in four sets. The loss of the first set didn’t dent his confidence and he successfully pursued his game strategy to claim victory. This outcome was expected considering that Lucas Mazur had been world champion in the discipline in both 2017 and 2019. 

A victory in mixed doubles

But Lucas Mazur didn’t rest on his laurels! He subsequently went on to compete in the mixed doubles final with Faustine Noël in the SL3-SU5 disability class. The French pair had played extremely well in their qualifying rounds up until the final where they claimed a superb silver medal after stumbling in this final stage of the event. But this competition in Japan was a success for this French badminton pair who can look forward to a long sporting career together as Lucas Mazur is only 23 years of age.
Faustine Noël, 27, is supported by Natixis Tradex Solutions, a subsidiary of Natixis Investment Managers, and trains in Rennes with Loris Dufay, the national para badminton coach. 

Photo credit: G. Picout