Pascal Gentil
Encyclopedia
Pascal Gentil
Pascal Gentil (born May 15, 1973 in Paris
, France
) is a French
taekwondo
practitioner. A three-time winner of the European Championships, four-time World Cup Champion and Olympic bronze medallist at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
and at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, Pascal Gentil is the most decorated taekwondo practitioner in French taekwondo history.
The S Class International Olympic Referee Dr. Mohamed Riad Ibrahim
was the Referee in the Final Match of Pascal Gentil in the 2004 Summer Olympic in Athens, and in this Match Pascal Gentil Won the bronze medal.
Captain of the French taekwondo team, Pascal Gentil won his third European title in October 2005 in Riga
giving the French team a second position among the European countries behind Turkey with 6 medals including 3 titles. The ranking is the same as for the Athens Games with 2 medals (1 silver, 1 bronze) as France finished as 2nd best European country behind Greece (host country).
To prepare for the Olympics, the French Taekwondo Federation set up training centres by grouping together in different locations the best French athletes according to weight categories. Pascal Gentil is a member of INSEP France Training Centre where he trains an average of 20 hours per week together with the best French taekwondo practitioners.
He was selected for the Beijing Games to snatch the gold medal. His opponent for the selection is Mickaël Borot
who obtained the French quota in the category by winning the Olympic qualification tournament in Manchester in 2007.
However, during a training session on the 25 July 2008, Pascal sustained an injury (a rupture of the plantar aponeurosis). Mickaël Borot
is officially appointed the representative on 6 August by the FFTDA （French Taekwondo Federation. The event leads to a crisis week for French taekwondo as Mickaël Borot violently criticises the French Taekwondo Federation and Pascal Gentil.
February 5, 2009, he announces to the press that he will give an end to his sport career in taekwondo after the French Championships in Lyon, February 7. In Lyon, he obtains his 14th French Champion title after defeating Mickaël Borot
in final.
Gentil graduated from ESSEC
Business School.
Pascal Gentil (born May 15, 1973 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
practitioner. A three-time winner of the European Championships, four-time World Cup Champion and Olympic bronze medallist at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Pascal Gentil is the most decorated taekwondo practitioner in French taekwondo history.
The S Class International Olympic Referee Dr. Mohamed Riad Ibrahim
Mohamed Riad Ibrahim
Dr. Mohamed Riad Ibrahim , He is a Taekwondo International Referee from Egypt who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympic in Athens, Greece. He was also Taekwondo International Referee at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He started Playing Taekwondo in 1975 in The American University...
was the Referee in the Final Match of Pascal Gentil in the 2004 Summer Olympic in Athens, and in this Match Pascal Gentil Won the bronze medal.
Captain of the French taekwondo team, Pascal Gentil won his third European title in October 2005 in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
giving the French team a second position among the European countries behind Turkey with 6 medals including 3 titles. The ranking is the same as for the Athens Games with 2 medals (1 silver, 1 bronze) as France finished as 2nd best European country behind Greece (host country).
To prepare for the Olympics, the French Taekwondo Federation set up training centres by grouping together in different locations the best French athletes according to weight categories. Pascal Gentil is a member of INSEP France Training Centre where he trains an average of 20 hours per week together with the best French taekwondo practitioners.
He was selected for the Beijing Games to snatch the gold medal. His opponent for the selection is Mickaël Borot
Mickaël Borot
Mickaël Justin Borot is a French Taekwondo athlete.-References:*...
who obtained the French quota in the category by winning the Olympic qualification tournament in Manchester in 2007.
However, during a training session on the 25 July 2008, Pascal sustained an injury (a rupture of the plantar aponeurosis). Mickaël Borot
Mickaël Borot
Mickaël Justin Borot is a French Taekwondo athlete.-References:*...
is officially appointed the representative on 6 August by the FFTDA （French Taekwondo Federation. The event leads to a crisis week for French taekwondo as Mickaël Borot violently criticises the French Taekwondo Federation and Pascal Gentil.
February 5, 2009, he announces to the press that he will give an end to his sport career in taekwondo after the French Championships in Lyon, February 7. In Lyon, he obtains his 14th French Champion title after defeating Mickaël Borot
Mickaël Borot
Mickaël Justin Borot is a French Taekwondo athlete.-References:*...
in final.
Gentil graduated from ESSEC
ESSEC
ESSEC is one of the foremost business schools and Grandes Écoles in France and one of Europe’s top business schools. It was created by Jesuits in 1907 and was originally located in the heart of Paris, next to the University of Paris II: Panthéon-Assas, rue d'Assas...
Business School.