“2nd or 3rd, that’s not really my thing”: skater Aurélien Giraud, first French gold medal at the Olympics?

Straight to the point is a Marseille motto. But as a football fan, we are sure that Lyonnais Aurélien Giraud will appreciate the parallel. This week, in his usual nonchalance, the 26-year-old skater came to answer a few questions at Club France. A quick stopover, blunt answers reflecting his go-getter temperament. “I came 6th in Tokyo, I’m not proud of it. I come here to win. Second or third, that’s not really my thing.”

That’s how Giraud is. Pure talent, not a big head, just a competitive mentality. This Saturday, starting at noon for the qualifications and around 5 p.m. in the final if all goes well, the general public of the Olympic Games will discover a very high-level athlete ready to land his most spectacular jumps to win. It took him five minutes, no more, at the beginning of the week to identify the places where he plans to shine his technical palette.

His recent outings suggest the best. The reigning world champion in street in 2022 – a discipline different from park – he won the prestigious Street League Skateboarding round in Paris in February. A home victory against the world’s elite during which he was able to appreciate the enthusiasm of the French public, he who loves wearing the tricolor jersey so much.

Enough to erase the trauma of Tokyo? That’s what he hopes. Having won the best score at the end of the qualifications, he had fallen in the final, disturbed, he told us this winter, by external pressure, particularly that of social networks.

“The weather in the village doesn’t matter to me.”

Aurélien Giraud is the best representative of Olympic-style skateboarding. In an environment that was not necessarily enchanted by the arrival of the rings competition three years ago, he has always assumed his obsession with winning. On a board since he was four years old, he has been stringing together performances and early records. A style that sets him apart from his compatriot and friend Vincent Milou, with more underground roots but also a medal contender this Saturday. The Landais finished fourth in Tokyo. He hopes to recreate the surprise with his aerial style, just like Joseph Garbaccio, who is participating for the first time.

To do this, the trio has put everything in place to stay in their bubble, which means skipping the opening ceremony. Aurélien Giraud, on a mission, didn’t think about it for long. “I’m really here for the competition. The time in the (Olympic) village doesn’t matter to me. I have my goal, we’ve been working on it for many years. In Tokyo, everyone was already talking about Paris. We’re there, but I prefer to (focus) on skating than on the joy of the village.” He wants glory, we understand that. As for the rest, we’ll see later. The last word for Garbaccio: “Aurélien is the most committed guy, he’s super motivated, super cool and a good laugh.” No better.