Mélina Robert-Michon (French pronunciation: [melina ʁɔbɛʁ miʃɔ̃]; born 18 July 1979) is a French discus thrower. She was the silver medalist at the 2013 World Championships and 2016 Summer Olympics and the national record holder. She earned the bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships and was the flag bearer of her country with the olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou during the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies.[1]
Discus career
editAt the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Robert-Michon won the discus silver medal with her last throw – a distance of 66.28 metres – which broke her own national record (65.78 m) set 11 years prior on 17 July 2002. Her 66.28 metres was much better than her hitherto, 2013 best distance of 63.75m. She had never finished better than eighth place in the final in her four previous World Championships appearances. She became the first male or female French athlete to win a World Championships medal in the discus event. Right after securing the silver medal, she told a television interviewer, "I had been working hard a long time for this. Since the start of the season, I said that I wanted to climb onto the podium. Many people laughed at it and did not quite believe it. I have been waiting so long for this.”[2][3][4]
In December 2013, Robert-Michon was chosen as the 2013 French female athlete of the year, according to an Internet poll taken from the athletics fraternity, in which more than 2500 votes were cast over two weeks. The poll was conducted by the Fédération française d'athlétisme.[5]
On 25 June 2016, Robert-Michon won her 16th French National Discus Championship, by throwing 63.40 m, less than 1 metre more than the runner-up Pauline Pousse (62.68 m).[6] She finished fifth at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam with a throw of 62.47m in the final, after having thrown 63.99m in the qualifying round (which would have been good enough for the bronze medal).[7]
Robert-Michon's achieved her best result in her fifth Olympic appearance at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. 16 years after her first Olympic appearance at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, she won the silver medal at the age of 37; her throw of 66.73m in the final beat her own French national record and was 2.48 m less than the distance registered by the Croatian winner Sandra Perković. Robert-Michon finished in 2nd place at both the 2016 Meeting de Paris (27 August, 64.36 m) and the 2016 Weltklasse Zurich (1 September, 63.91 m), behind the winner Sandra Perković in both competitions.[8]
In December 2016, she was chosen for the second in her career as the 2016 French female athlete of the year, ahead of trail-runner Caroline Cheverot and 800 m European silver medalist Rénelle Lamote.[9]
After a difficult season struggled by minor injuries, the French managed to win the bronze medal at the World Championships in London behind Croatia's Sandra Perković and Australia's Dani Stevens, both former world champions.[10] Her result of 66.21m is her best throw of the season, and the third best of his career (behind 66.73m in 2016 and 66.28m in 2013).[10]
In January 2018, she retained her « French female athlete of the year award » for the second consecutive year, this time for 2017, well ahead of world trail-runner champion Adeline Roche and 400 m runner Floria Gueï.[11] She is the first athlete to win three times the award.[11]
Family
editRobert-Michon has a daughter named Elyssa, born on 24 August 2010.[12] On 5 December 2017, she announced her second pregnancy.[13]
Results in international competitions
editNote: Only the position and distance in the final are indicated, unless otherwise stated. (q) means the athlete did not qualify for the final, with the overall position and distance in the qualification round indicated.
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Representing France | ||||
1998 | World Junior Championships | Annecy, France | 2nd | 55.01 m |
European Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 29th (q) | 47.88 m | |
1999 | Universiade | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | 8th | 56.81 m |
European U23 Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 12th | 50.75 m | |
2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 29th (q) | 54.11 m |
2001 | European U23 Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1st | 58.52 m |
Jeux de la Francophonie | Ottawa, Canada | 3rd | 56.81 m | |
World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 20th (q) | 56.22 m | |
Universiade | Beijing, China | 3rd | 58.04 m | |
2002 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 12th | 54.92 m |
2003 | World Championships | Paris, France | 11th | 58.52 m |
European Cup | Florence, Italy | 2nd | 61.67 m | |
2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 31st (q) | 56.70 m |
2005 | Mediterranean Games | Almería, Spain | 6th | 51.80 m |
2006 | European Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 17th (q) | 53.77 m |
2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 11th | 57.81 m |
2008 | European Cup Winter Throwing | Split, Croatia | 2nd | 59.93 m |
Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 8th | 60.66 m | |
2009 | Mediterranean Games | Pescara, Italy | 1st | 61.17 m |
European Team Championships | Leiria, Portugal | 2nd | 61.41 m | |
World Athletics Final | Thessaloniki, Greece | 3rd | 61.74 m | |
World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 8th | 60.92 m | |
2012 | European Cup Winter Throwing | Bar, Montenegro | 3rd | 63.03 m |
European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 6th | 60.41 m | |
Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 5th | 63.98 m | |
2013 | European Team Championships | Gateshead, England | 1st | 63.75 m |
European Cup Winter Throwing | Castellón de la Plana, Spain | 2nd | 61.26 m | |
World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 2nd | 66.28 m NR | |
2014 | European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 2nd | 65.33 m |
2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 10th | 60.92 m |
2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brasil | 2nd | 66.73 m NR |
2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 3rd | 66.21 m |
DécaNation | Angers, France | 1st | 60.06 m | |
2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 10th | 59.99 m |
2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 15th (q) | 60.88 m |
2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 10th | 60.36 m |
European Championships | Munich, Germany | 8th | 60.60 m | |
2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 9th | 63.46 m |
2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 7th | 61.65 m |
Olympic Games | Paris, France | 12th | 57.03 m |
References
edit- ^ "Mélina Robert-Michon and Florent Manaudou: Flag-bearers for the French delegation". France24.com. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Mélina Robert-Michon en argent, la revanche des lancers français". Le Monde. 11 August 2013.
- ^ "Athlétisme – Mondiaux : Mélina Robert-Michon en argent!". Le Point. 11 August 2013.
- ^ "Report: Women's Discus final – Moscow 2013". IAAF. 11 August 2013.
- ^ Tamgho et Robert-Michon, athlètes de l'année Francetvsport (25 December 2013)
- ^ "Championnats de France – Disque : Mélina Robert-Michon a résisté à Pauline Pousse" (in French). Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ "Championnats d'Europe : Pas de podium pour Mélina Robert-Michon" (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "Ligue de diamant : Mélina Robert-Michon 2e derrière Sandra Perkovic" (in French). Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "ATHLE.FR | Athlètes de l'année : Et les gagnants sont…". Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Discus Throw women — IAAF World Championships London 2017".
- ^ a b "ATHLE.FR | Athlètes de l'année : Mélina Robert-Michon et Pierre-Ambroise Bosse vainqueurs". Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Mélina Robert-Michon : " Comme un renouveau "". Radio Parilly. 9 November 2010.
- ^ Rédaction. "Mélina Robert-Michon enceinte de son second enfant". L'ÉQUIPE (in French). Retrieved 4 January 2018.