Andy Barat
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 November 1997[1] Anjouan, Comoros[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Comoros |
| Sport | Canoeing |
| Event | K1, Kayak cross[1] |
Andy Barat (born 29 November 1997)[1] is a Comorian canoeist. He qualified to represent Comoros at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Biography
[edit]Barat was born in 1997[2] and spent his early years in Mutsamudu, a city in the Comoros, before later moving to France.[3] His father is from Anjouan while his mother is French.[4] He played multiple sports growing up, including football, judo and BMX biking.[5] When he was approximately 13, he was introduced to kayak slalom by his cousin, a member of the club CKClisson in Loire-Atlantique.[5] In France, Barat attended the Raphaël-Elizé school in Sablé-sur-Sarthe.[5] He competed at canoeing competitions in France and won the silver medal at the French Slalom Cup in 2022.[6] He also served four years in the French Army, being a member of the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment through 2023.[5]
Having served for France, his mother's country, Barat decided that he wanted to represent his father's country and "make the Comorian colours shine."[5] He began competing in international canoeing events under the Comorian flag in 2023.[5] He participated at several events that year, including in Slovenia, Spain, France, Britain and Germany.[3] Among the 2023 events he participated in were the Canoe World Cup and the World Championships.[3][7] He competed at the World Cup and World Championships again in 2024 and also won the silver medal at the 2024 African championships.[4][8]
Barat is regarded as the best canoeist for the Comoros, a sport that has been described as "new ... if not non-existent" in the country.[8] He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and is the country's first-ever Olympic canoeist.[5][9] He continues his training at the Clisson Canoe Kayak Club, where he is highly valued by the young members who support him daily and sometimes train alongside him.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Barat Andy". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Andy Barat". Fédération française de canoë (in French).
- ^ a b c Imtiyaz (4 July 2024). "Jeux Olympiques: Un kayakiste comorien aux JO de Paris 2024" [Olympic Games: A Comorian kayaker at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games]. La Gazette des Comores (in French).
- ^ a b "JO 2024 : «Représenter mon pays, les Comores, est une évidence" [Olympic Games 2024: "Representing my country, the Comoros, is obvious"]. Habariza Comores (in French). 26 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Banc, Frédéric (4 July 2024). "Comores – Une première: un kayakiste aux Jeux olympiques" [Comoros – A first: a kayaker at the Olympic Games]. Le Quotidien de La Réunion (in French).
- ^ "Canoë-kayak. Coupe de France de slalom N3: Andy Barat, en tête de bout en bout" [Canoe Kayak. French Slalom Cup N3: Andy Barat, in the lead from start to finish]. Ouest-France (in French). 17 April 2022 – via archive.today.
- ^ "Andy Barat, le kayakiste comorien qui rêve des JO 2024" [Andy Barat, the Comorian kayaker who dreams of the 2024 Olympics]. Comores Magazine (in French). 27 June 2024.
- ^ a b Imtiyaz (22 February 2024). "CANOË Andy Barat, le précurseur du Canoë aux Comores" [Canoe: Andy Barat, the precursor of Canoeing in the Comoros]. La Gazette des Comores (in French).
- ^ "Andy Barat : De Clisson aux Jeus Olympiques, le parcours d'un Kayakiste Comorien" [Andy Barat: From Clisson to the Olympic Games, the journey of a Comorian kayaker]. Comores-Infos.net (in French). 27 June 2024.