By Héloïse Tan
The French National Championships 2024 were held on May 25th and 26th. The anticipation was palpable for many participants, including Alexandra Honnorat and Hugo Soleau who were competing for the first time.
The event was marked by an intense fighting spirit from all participants. The shiais were highly competitive, confirming the talent of experienced practitioners and the presence of many promising young naginatakas. The competition was an opportunity to witness everyone’s sincere commitment to the practice.
The Criterium Kyu, aimed at beginner to intermediate level practitioners, allowed some participants to experience the atmosphere of competitions and test themselves against their peers.
In the women’s category, I won the gold medal, followed by Amélie Decourtye who took silver. The bronze medal went to Alexandra Honnorat, who put in a fine performance for her first competition.
On the men’s side, Thimothy Beaumont won the gold medal, while Emmanuel Fray-Lacoste claimed the silver. The bronze medal went to Loick Briant.
The French Championships, aimed at advanced level practitioners, revealed the discipline’s confirmed talents. In the women’s category, Fanny Hamot won gold, followed by Adeline Gvero who took silver. The bronze medal went to Monica Silva.
On the men’s side, Guillaume Dufeil brilliantly won the gold medal, followed by Loïc Vargoz who took silver. Jérémy Chevaux won the bronze medal following a fierce performance.
Finally, the team competition saw the Versailles Budo club take gold, followed by EC LeChesnay-Rocquencourt with silver, and TUESG with bronze.
At all levels, the competition has encouraged everyone to remain committed to their practice and to pursue their quest for excellence. These championships have shown that Naginata in France is constantly evolving, with great performances expected in upcoming competitions. The anticipation for the next championships is already high, with the hope of witnessing even more impressive performances and the rise of young talents.
This competition has also served as a reminder that there is still a lot of training to be done in the pursuit of excellence in this discipline, requiring sustained commitment, rigorous practice, and constant determination.