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Mathieu Stehlin combines his passion, perseverance and Olympic values as a sports teacher. He shares his exceptional career path and his inspiring projects for his students.
Can you tell us about your sporting achievements?
I've been a physical education and sports teacher with the City of Paris since 2006. I currently work at the school in the 19th arrondissement. I'm French, European and world champion in savate [French boxing]. I'm also a four-time French taekwondo championships medalist and winner of several major international opens.
Although I took a break from competitive sports around 2012 with the birth of my three children and my appointment as coach of the French technical taekwondo team in 2017, I started boxing in 2019 at the savate boxe française club in Vincennes. My aim was to become European champion, a title that I won at the age of 41.
How do you have time for both your job and your sporting career?
I'm lucky enough to be in a profession where I have everything close by. As a PE teacher, I have access to all the facilities and equipment I need to train. My job is ideal for reconciling my sporting project with my profession. What's more, the City of Paris helps me by allowing me to train and compete with the French team. This is a major asset for my sporting career.
"Training is repetition," is the motto Mathieu Stehlin shares with his students.
Credit
Laurent Bourgogne, Ville de Paris
What do you pass on to your students during your classes?
I try to pass on values that I believe are essential for life, in particular rigor. Concentration, seriousness and perseverance are qualities that I try to instill in them. "Training is repetition" is the motto I share with them. Sport can allow you to solve life problems and it's up to each individual to find the most efficient solutions. Politeness and respect are also essential values for communities.
How do you talk to your children about your award?
I try to show them that sport can be a fulfilling path and that one can earn a living in sports. I often explain to them that I wasn't the best at school but thanks to sport and the values I insist on, I've managed to have an extraordinary life.
How are you going to celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games with your students?
I program an Olympic or Paralympic sport into each time period, so that upcoming events have a meaning for them and maybe get them to take up a sport. I'll also show them videos from past Games to show how the body and its physical capacities have evolved over the years.
We're also going to work on our country's symbols such as the flag, the national anthem and the motto. The aim is to promote cohesion both within the education and on a wider scale.
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