Date of birth: 1977

City: Paris

Best result: 1^st of the World Cup 2007, Silver at the World Championships 2008, 1^st at the World Cup FISA 2004 and 2005, 1^st in Moscow in 2005 and 2007, 1^st in Lausanne in 2001 and 2004. 6 times French champion

Best contest: hundreds of contests all over the world, since 1997 (regional contests) to the national and French championships and the World Cup since 1998. I travelled to Amsterdam, Moscow, Agadir, Shanghai and Lausanne for competitions, demos, trainings or races.

In the team since: Tecnica France in 1999, which became Rollerblade in 2004-2005. I was first team member, then captain of the Rollerblade International Team in 2008.

Favorite music: rhythm to skate, calm music otherwise

Where would you like to go for holydays? I often take my holydays in order to compete contests. The week after the competition or the demo, I can spend time with the other skaters.

Life is so simple. Actually, it could be! But you’ve always got something to learn, or something to teach. Vincent likes to take and to give. Few meters away from the Notre-Dame cathedral, he gives a free slalom show to the Parisian tourists, who seem to appreciate it much. “Es incredibile!” says a Spanish girl. “Comment fait-il?” ask some French kids. “Take a picture!” requests a Japanese tourist.

Two verbs are coming quite fast about the champion: take and give. As if someone goes, and comes back. Vincent took a lot from his sport. “I was six times French champion, I won two World Cups and I captured the silver medal at the World Championships…” Some podiums and some titles which pushed him at the top, as an international star of slalom skating. But Vincent is not only a champion during the competitions. For years now, he has been involved in competition’s organizations such as the French championships, the World Cup, the French and the International Federations of roller skating. “Actually, I still help developing the Spanish and the French championships.”

Where does all this energy come from? “When I was 17 years old, I started to skate with my brother and my father, and soon with friends. There was nothing for us in the small city where I lived. We had to imagine everything, from the spots to the figures. We obtained a place to train in my school, but we were obliged to move quite soon… This sport was so unknown that people thought it was not a sport and they gave us no room.” Right after that, Vincent and his friend landed on the city place, with the BMX and the skate board riders.

His will to develop his sport comes from these past years and from this background. Everywhere, with the support of some courageous people, or against the incomprehension of some others, Vincent gave a lot. He built and developed slalom, and sometimes he dreams that this sport could get its true recognition, as it carries values and grows up young athletes. But for now, he keeps “taking”. “I am feeling good when I am skating. It’s like a life style. It can’t be one day without practicing. Days after days, I try to create new figures and to reach a better level. This sport is so young that, I had to invent many tricks, fixing the latest ones even during the warm up, a few minutes before the start of the competition!” Innovation is the key word for slalom skaters.

Today, Vincent can rely on a perfect technique and a great agility to improve his figures. He still competes, but quite less. He gives demonstrations, such as in Berlin during the famous marathon, in front of thousands of spectators. He runs Master Classes for the other riders to share the tricks, such as in Madrid Classes. He also goes all around the world for the sport, to learn from the others. “I was very impressed by the Russians when we met in early 2000s. They are training sport so well! They are practicing slalom skating indoor in dedicated structures. They are training strongly to be the best, technique & style together. That country provided champions, and will produce more for sure!”

It was quite cold in Paris, even if the end of March was close. It reminded Vincent of the video session of "VIP" in the capital city of France, in January 2004, about 7:00AM. “We were looking for the best colors of the sunrise, when it is something like pink and purple. The sidewalks were frozen… But we did it perfectly.” That is not really surprising: when you give that much to your sport, you can be sure that things are falling to you perfectly!