Nîmes Olympique
Advantage GOAL FC. This Saturday at 6 p.m., Nîmes Olympique welcomes GOAL FC for the 23rd matchday of National 2. The attendance record could be broken again with Crocodiles’ impressive streak (five wins and one draw) and the arrival of the warmer weather. For Mickaël Gas’ players, the stakes will be huge as NO is just one point behind the first place held by AS Cannes. It will be a must-watch event for the Nîmes 2025-26 players to outperform their predecessors. The history between the two teams isn’t rich, but it’s not flattering for the Gardois. However, there is a good memory with the victory of Adil Hermach’s players at the Ludovic Giuly stadium (1-2) on May 3, 2024, securing Nîmes’ stay in National. Besides that, there were two defeats for NO. One at the Antonins stadium (1-2) on December 15, 2023, and another loss at Chasselay (2-0) on November 1st. Salamone’s teammates will have the opportunity to take revenge in three days. But this time, the environment will be quite different from the first three encounters that never attracted more than 800 people.
The point on the injured. From the Nîmes infirmary side. This Wednesday, Clément Depres and Oualid Orinel took part in the whole session, indicating progress in their return phase. It is possible that they will be on the bench as substitutes on Saturday. Vincent Pirès, who bruised his toe on Tuesday, is feeling better. He rested and will resume training tomorrow. Jared Khasa, with a quad injury, will return to training tomorrow or Friday, and an update will be provided on Drama Diaby’s knee injury tomorrow.
OAC
The defense reassures. If last week, the porous defense of OAC was criticized, it finally reassured during the last match against Beaucaire. Despite the draw (0-0), the biggest satisfaction of the game was its defensive aspect. Thanks to this result, the Olympians put an end to a streak of ten consecutive matches conceding at least one goal, marking their first clean sheet of the calendar year. This was pleasing, as indicated by Nolan Hamard, the central defender of the team: “Finally a game without conceding, it reassures and feels good in the minds.” The Cévenols want to rediscover their solid defense that worked well during the first leg, where they conceded only 12 goals (2nd defense at the 13th matchday). The satisfaction of the last match is also felt by Simon Chaveriat, Nolan’s partner in central defense. The player with 1,784 minutes played this season was pleased to deliver a solid performance in this area: “It was nice to finish without conceding, it is important for defensive confidence. In this match, we were mainly focused on trying to get back on track and avoid a fourth straight defeat. It resulted in a draw, I think we deserved more, but still, not conceding is positive. Now, we will go to Carnoux to seek victory.”
USAM Nîmes
Aim for fourth place. “It’s the season of discovery of D2F”. This is how David Tebib described the first experience of USAM Nîmes in the second tier of handball. In this division, where they can neither move up to D1 nor be relegated to N1, the players coached by Grégoire Detrez and Elvine Granier are not just making up the numbers. With six wins, two draws, and seven losses, the Nîmes team is positioned in the top half of the standings. Not bad for a newly promoted team, especially since they are still in the running for the fourth place that qualifies for the championship semi-finals. However, the task will not be easy, especially because the last three matches of USAM will be played away from home (Le Pouzin, Pessac, and La Roche-sur-Yon). During this sequence, the Nîmes team will have to gain three points on Vaulx-en-Velin (4th), who will host Saint-Grégoire Rennes, visit Bouillargues, and host Le Pouzin. On paper, the schedule for Vaulx-en-Velin is much tougher than that of the Gardoises. “The next match in Le Pouzin is important, but fourth place is. It’s possible,” emphasized David Tebib. On her side, Laurie Roudière, the sports director of USAM Nîmes, confirmed the team’s motivation: “The girls are determined to go after this fourth place.” If Mouna Chebbah’s teammates manage to achieve this goal, they will face Clermont or Bouillargues in the semi-finals with a first leg match at Parnasse.
Fencing
Clément Depres, sponsor of The Week of the Sword. From April 4 to 6, Nîmes will host “The Week of the Sword.” This competition will bring together 1,200 fencers from the senior men’s categories, as well as from under 17 and under 20 (girls and boys). With 44 pistes set up, the Ludivine-Furnon sports hall will host its first major national event. The Nîmes Fencing Society (SEN), which is part of the French elite, will field 54 of its members, including 19 seniors. Noam Duchene, recent junior European vice-champion and French number one under 20, will be present to defend the colors of SEN. “In the men’s national circuit, it’s an unprecedented format. The Week of the Sword is a great showcase for fencing in Nîmes,” rejoiced Fulcran Fezard, the president of the Nîmes Fencing Society. The competition will be open to the public for three days, offering a great opportunity to follow the oldest Nîmes sports club and the discipline that brings home the most medals at the Olympics.
Alès Skating Club
A national top 10. In early March, the Alès Skating Club had the opportunity to participate in the French group skating championship in the “quartet” category (four people). After their performance, the Cévennes skaters finished 9th, allowing them to enter the French top 10. This highlights the club that was founded 34 years ago and still has more than 90 licensees this year. Anchored in its territory, the club has evolved over the decades, proudly representing itself in departmental, regional, national, and even international stages. Open to all profiles, the club offers both accessible leisure practice and demanding coaching for competitors. Athletes can compete individually, as well as in collective disciplines, especially quartet, a specialty that requires synchronization, rigor, and creativity. This season, the quartet composed of Manon ARBOUSSET, Aéroa MALAVAL, Flora MALAVAL, Audrey MICHEL, and Noémie GUERIN particularly excelled with an original program titled “The Breath of Aura,” impressing judges from the early competitions. Their hard work paid off in February during the regional competition, where they secured a very good 2nd place. This qualification propelled them to the French championship, against the national elite. In this major event, the group confirmed their potential by finishing 9th, thus entering the French top 10. A promising result that reflects the athletes’ seriousness, commitment, and constant improvement, highlighting the club’s continued success.
Norman Jardin and Romain Fiore.
