Nahil MEHNANA
Taekwondo practitioner

Nahil received a grant to help him enter international competitions

What is your sporting background?
I started practicing taekwondo when I was 5 years old. It wasn’t a calculated choice; it just felt right, as if this sport had been waiting for me. Since then, it has shaped my entire life. Today, I am the reigning French Elite Champion for three consecutive years (2024, 2025, 2026), a five-time French U21 Champion, French Junior Champion, and 3rd place at the 2025 European U21 Championships. I have won numerous international tournaments in Spain, Estonia, Turkey, Luxembourg, Latvia, and Belgium. I am also captain of the French U21 team, and I am currently ranked 8th in the world in the +80kg category, making me the top contender for the 2028 Olympic Games.

How do you view your profession today?
Being a professional athlete is a privilege that I take very seriously. It’s not a job like any other; it’s a total commitment- physical, mental, and day-in, day-out. What I love about this profession is that it doesn’t lie. Indeed, your results are a direct reflection of your dedication. But beyond performance, I increasingly see my role as that of a role model. When you’re captain of the French national team and young people are looking up to you, you’re carrying something bigger than yourself. I fully embrace that responsibility.

How do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years?
In five years, I’ll already have won a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. That’s my main goal—the one everything is building toward. I’m currently the top French athlete in my category in the race for the Olympics, and I fully intend to stand on that podium. It would be the ultimate culmination of everything I’ve built since I was five years old. And if everything goes as planned, 2032 will be next on the horizon.
But my vision extends beyond the tatami. I’m also pursuing my studies at Sciences Po, and that’s no coincidence. In 10 years, I aspire to build something unique. I aspire to blend sports and politics on the international stage. Sports have taught me to understand the world, to negotiate, and to represent, and Sciences Po is giving me the tools to operate on a different scale. These two worlds aren’t opposed; they feed off each other, and that’s exactly where I want to grow.

Interview conducted in 2026
Photographs taken in 2026 by Yama Ndiaye