SPORT GARD The after-career episode 4: Jean

Former athlete and physical education teacher, Villeneuvois now has one foot in the vineyards and both in politics in Saint-Pons-la-Calm. Jean-Marie Laurens has taken several paths in his career.

Jean-Marie Laurens found his path and favorite sport: athletics. “I came to athletics through school sports. I was a middle school student in Bagnols-sur-Cèze. I had some good results. The coach noticed me. From there, I participated in many competitions. I practically only did this sport. I quickly specialized in sprinting. I had more aptitude for short distances. I also had results in the 400m. It’s a total effort around the track,” he said, expressing his love for the discipline that revealed him.

As a junior French champion in 1976, the Gard athlete packed his bags and headed to the capital. In Paris, he progressed step by step, in sports studies, in a prestigious class at the INSEP. “I stayed there for seven years. It’s a great training center.” He also did “teaching, always in the same structure” to learn how to train future runners. Often selected for the French team, the athlete was on the verge of competing in the Olympic Games. “I was injured, so I couldn’t defend my chances,” he sighed. However, he quickly bounced back.

After 1983, Jean-Marie Laurens found a suitable career change based on his skills and desires. “The logical continuation,” he admitted: “I passed the physical education and sports teacher competition. It’s completely different: athletics is a performance sport. Teaching is an educational activity. I stopped training around 1987-1988. I taught for a year in Paris, then I came to Alès. I spent most of my career in Bagnols-sur-Cèze,” he detailed, attached to his homeland. After a fulfilling career as a sportsman and teacher, the 69-year-old man got involved in politics to better serve the residents of a village in the Gard Rhodanien.

This athlete has more than one string to his bow: “At the same time, I continued to manage my father’s vineyard. I have some vineyard areas. I am currently also deputy mayor of Saint-Pons-la-Calm.” In office for his fourth term, “I am quite busy,” he said, concluding with a big smile. Always active in sports, the sexagenarian now plays golf.

From one passion to another, Jean-Marie Laurens has managed to take several paths to reinvent himself. His mindset is intact: to remember the best of his brilliant athletic career, while continuing to advance step by step.