Ludivine Furnon
Encyclopedia
Ludivine Furnon is a retired Olympic
athlete from France
. She was the first French female gymnast
ever to medal at the World Gymnastics Championships
.
Although she attended dance classes from the age of eight, Furnon did not study gymnastics until April 1992, when she was eleven years old. Her rise in the sport was astonishingly rapid. In early 1994, less than two years after beginning gymnastics, she was accepted to train with the French national team in Marseille
; by 1995 she was competing at the elite level. At her first French national championships, in 1995, she placed sixth in the all-around.
In 1995 Furnon also made her international debut, competing with the sixth-place French team at the World Gymnastics Championships
in Sabae. With her innovative and expressive floor exercise routine, choreographed by coach Adriana Pop, she won a bronze medal in event finals, the first ever for a French gymnast at Worlds.
Furnon continued to be a major contributor to the French team for the next five years. In 1996, she became the French national champion and represented France at the 1996 Olympics, finishing nineteenth in the all-around. She also competed at the 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2001 World Championships, qualifying for the floor finals on several occasions.
In 2000, Furnon seemed to be on the brink of success again, winning the floor exercise title at the 2000 European Championships over a tough field that included Elena Produnova, Simona Amânar
and reigning world FX champion Andreea Răducan
. However, at the 2000 Olympics a few months later, Furnon was dealing with injury issues, and was only able to compete on the uneven bars during the team portions of the meet.
In 2008, Furnon was part of the cast of Cirque du Soleil
in the production Mystere in Las Vegas
, Nevada
.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
athlete from 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...
. She was the first French female gymnast
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
ever to medal at the World Gymnastics Championships
World Gymnastics Championships
The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:...
.
Although she attended dance classes from the age of eight, Furnon did not study gymnastics until April 1992, when she was eleven years old. Her rise in the sport was astonishingly rapid. In early 1994, less than two years after beginning gymnastics, she was accepted to train with the French national team in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
; by 1995 she was competing at the elite level. At her first French national championships, in 1995, she placed sixth in the all-around.
In 1995 Furnon also made her international debut, competing with the sixth-place French team at the World Gymnastics Championships
World Gymnastics Championships
The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:...
in Sabae. With her innovative and expressive floor exercise routine, choreographed by coach Adriana Pop, she won a bronze medal in event finals, the first ever for a French gymnast at Worlds.
Furnon continued to be a major contributor to the French team for the next five years. In 1996, she became the French national champion and represented France at the 1996 Olympics, finishing nineteenth in the all-around. She also competed at the 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2001 World Championships, qualifying for the floor finals on several occasions.
In 2000, Furnon seemed to be on the brink of success again, winning the floor exercise title at the 2000 European Championships over a tough field that included Elena Produnova, Simona Amânar
Simona Amânar
Simona Amânar is a Romanian gymnast. She is a seven-time Olympic medalist and a ten-time world medalist. Amânar helped Romania to win four consecutive world team titles as well as the 2000 Olympic team title. She has a vault named after her, the Amanar...
and reigning world FX champion Andreea Răducan
Andreea Raducan
Andreea Mădălina Răducan is a retired gymnast from Bârlad, Romania.Răducan began competing in gymnastics at a young age and was training at the Romanian junior national facility by the age of 12½. As one of the standout gymnasts of the Romanian team in the late 1990s, Răducan was known for both...
. However, at the 2000 Olympics a few months later, Furnon was dealing with injury issues, and was only able to compete on the uneven bars during the team portions of the meet.
In 2008, Furnon was part of the cast of Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
in the production Mystere in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.