Victor Viennot-Bourgin
Squad
About Victor Viennot-Bourgin
Where did you learn to row and who was your first coach?
Cercle Nautique de France in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, on the River Seine - Tristan Adam and Vincent Martin.
What inspires you about sport?
Rowing, and sport in general, is my passion. I discovered it through the Olympics, which, in my opinion, are the most beautiful human gathering, symbolizing peace as well as physical and mental achievement. Through rowing, I have experienced sportsmanship, team spirit, stress management, and the satisfaction of surpassing myself.
Explain your earliest memory of The Boat Race
I cannot recall my exact first memory of The Boat Race, but I had certainly already heard about it even before I started rowing. The event is so famous that all French sports fans know about it, and since my first year of rowing, I have followed it every year as one of the biggest rowing events alongside the international regattas.
Do you relish in hours in the gym and miles in the dark, or do you live for race days?
It is a difficult question, because every athlete loves race days. However, I truly enjoy the training itself. Rowing, on and off the water, is central to my life balance and well-being, and it offers some of the most memorable moments of human interaction with teammates. I would say that the hours in the gym and the miles on the water are the most enriching, even though they are always aimed at achieving the best performance on race day.
What's the secret to managing elite-level sport with studying at one of the top universities in the world?
For now, I have no answer, and I actually believe that there is no single answer. I will start training and studying at Cambridge in a few days. But from what I have learned throughout my schooling, sport and studies balance each other perfectly if one is dedicated and supported by close family, friends, and professors.
