Margot Lambert

Margot Lambert, 23, from Mulhouse, France, discovered badminton when she was living in Tahiti. Since then, she's been playing it ever since, with one good result after another. This student, who is studying for a Master's degree in computational mechanics and sees herself working in the aeronautics industry in the future, nevertheless has a dream: to qualify for the next Olympic Games in Paris and win a medal.

How did your passion for badminton come about?
Margot Lambert: It all started in Tahiti! My parents, who are gym teachers, were transferred there. While they were there, they started playing badminton with some friends, and I soon joined them to give it a try. I was eight years old. In Tahiti, I played more as a hobby, as there was no coach in the club I was in. It wasn't until four years later, when I returned to France, that I started playing in a more sporting way, with regular training sessions.

At the same time, I was also playing basketball, but it wasn't easy to combine the two. I had to make a choice and opted for badminton.

What are you currently studying?
M.L.: I'm doing a Master's degree in Computational Mechanics at Sorbonne University. I started out with a major in mathematics and a minor in mechanics, but I liked the mechanics part more. So, logically, I wanted to go for a master's degree in this field.  Except that my heart was torn between fluid mechanics and solid mechanics. Luckily, I was able to find the ideal Master's degree that combines the two, and it's at Sorbonne University! What's more, it fits in perfectly with my pace as a top-level sportswoman.

Precisely how do you reconcile your studies with High-level Sports?
M.L.:Thanks to Sorbonne University's high-level athletes and artists program, I'm lucky enough to be able to do all my training by distance learning, and to split my years. In short, one year of study for a "classic" student is half a year for me. I'm assessed on a total of three UEs. The program fits in well with my athletic schedule.

When I'm training, for example, I study for an hour or an hour and a half in the morning when I wake up, then in the early afternoon after lunch, and finally in the evening after dinner. The rest of the time I spend playing badminton.

How is Sorbonne Université supporting you in this project?
M.L. : Sorbonne Université, with its "high-level athlete" scheme, is helping me to manage the pace of my training more effectively, providing me with resources and enabling me to make up exams I can't take... As an added bonus, this year I'm lucky enough to benefit from the Sorbonne University Foundation's Passeport pour les JO scholarship program, supported by Crédit Agricole d'Ile-de-France Mécénat.

This helps me financially and will enable me to do more competitions and internships abroad in preparation for the Paris Olympics.

What do the Paris Olympics mean to you?
M.L.: It's the ultimate goal! It would be the Holy Grail to be rewarded for these Olympics "at home."

How do you prepare for it? 
M.L.: With a lot of training! The French Badminton Federation has recently allocated more means and resources. We also have bigger training sessions. Everything is in place for us to perform at our best during this Olympic qualifying year.

What are your objectives for the Olympics?
M.L. : First of all, to qualify! In doubles, only sixteen pairs will qualify. Obviously, if my team-mate and I qualify, our aim will be to enjoy ourselves, have fun and, why not, go for a medal.

Do you have a lucky charm that you take with you to competitions?
M.L.: I don't know if you'd call it a lucky charm, but I always wear a ring that my grandmother gave me for my 22nd birthday.

What's your most vivid memory of a competition?
M.L.: In the final of this year's French championships, I played against two friends. One of them is my former partner, and she was recently diagnosed with an illness that forced her to give up top-level sport. This was her last match. It was very intense, and after 1 h 20 of play, we won. It was a very moving moment for all of us on the pitch. It will always be engraved in our memories.

Photographie © François Le Guen