One champion, one trainer: “Maurice Manificat is atypical and endearing”
The Caisse d'Epargne Rhône Alpes is supporting five athletes selected for the Beijing Olympics. For each of them, we asked one of their trainers to give a description of their respective athletes.
Maurice Manificat, 36, is a cross-country skier. This three-time Olympic medalist, winning bronze in the relay in Sochi and again in the relay and team sprint in 2018 in PyeongChang, is a member of the Agy Skiing Club in Saint-Sigismond, Haute-Savoie.
Fabrice Bouvier was the coach of the Agy Skiing Club where he worked with Maurice Manificat from 2002 to 2008. The coach describes the discipline and seriousness that Maurice displayed from a very early age.
“He sailed through all the stages in the youth categories. At 16, he was already the French champion in the cadet and, subsequently, junior categories before going on to win medals in world competitions at a very early age. He had a very good contact with the snow and, above all, he was immensely “physical,” he had a lot of strength and staying power.
What struck me the most, apart from all his potential, was that he knew exactly what he wanted from a very early age. He had his convictions and he did things well. His equipment was always perfectly clean. At 16 or 17, he was already waxing his skis by himself.
When travelling in a car, he took advantage of the time to get some sleep, to recover his strength when the others were constantly fidgeting. He was also looking for other ways of doing things. All these qualities made him destined for greatness. But his career wasn’t always plain sailing because of his injuries… but, despite this, he obtained six international medals over the years.
When not skiing, he was sometimes a bit “elated”, which other people found amusing but he was never left out. On the contrary, he was very open, had a good time with everyone. He’s not a conventional person, rather atypical in how he goes about things but he’s a very endearing person.”
Maurice Manificat is a member of the group of athletes sponsored by the Caisse d'Epargne Rhône Alpes, a major partner of the French ski and snowboard teams for the past 25 years. Learn more about this commitment HERE!
"We share the same flame"