In Le Havre, the municipal ice rink almost goes unnoticed in the upper town. Yet it deserves to be known as it hosts some of the world’s best athletes every week, in the discipline of short track speed skating.
On the world stage since 2014 Since 2014 and the Winter Olympics in Sochi, every international competition has had at least one person from Le Havre. “We found ourselves with 6 people from Le Havre in the French group,” recalls Vincent Jeanne, coach of the Le Havre Ice Speed Club (CVGH) and former international of the French team.
At that time, Sebastien Lepape was the driving force of the CVGH by participating in the Olympics with the French team. Although he did not win any medals at the Olympic competitions, he still has three bronze medals in his collection, two in the World Cup and one in the European Cup.
While Sebastien Lepape’s Olympic career ended in 2022 in Beijing, another talented person from Le Havre, Quentin Fercoq, was just starting out. Recently, it was at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina that Quentin Fercoq represented the city of Oceane. Just like his predecessor, Olympic medals are still out of reach for him. However, this pride of the CVGH has still brought home two bronze medals and one silver medal in the World Cup.
A decrease in members after covid As Vincent Jeanne points out, the Covid-19 pandemic has harmed the CVGH: “We had a decrease in the number of members after the pandemic. It hurt us a lot, like many sports associations,” recalls the coach, without giving a specific number. But brighter days are ahead: “Since I resumed the club, we have reformed a small team of 15 members, of all ages,” continues Vincent Jeanne.
Among these new members, the club has found promising talents. This is the case for Lyana Wasro, competing in the U13 category. At the junior French championships in Lyon this year, she won two medals and finished 3rd nationally. When asked about her goals, she has no hesitation: “The Olympic Games.”
An achievable goal for her coach, even though there is still work to be done: “We will need to work on physical, technical, and strategic aspects, but it is entirely realistic and we will do everything to achieve it.”
If the CVGH provides skaters at the highest level, it also occupies the officiating side. Alain Jeanne, Vincent’s father, got involved in officiating thanks to his son: “By going back and forth to the ice rink, I got into refereeing. It’s fascinating, we’re in the action without actually being there,” says the referee who experienced his first Olympics in Beijing in 2022.
Referees also experience adrenaline rushes. At the 2025 European Championships in the Netherlands, he was knocked over by a skater: “It’s the most memorable memory of my refereeing career,” he says with a laugh.
