Paris 2024 Olympic Games: ESILV Engineering Students and Athletes Alex Portal, Varian Pasquet, and Estelle Mossely Reflect on Their Journey

Alex Portal, Varian Pasquet and Estelle Mossely, all three engineering students at ESILV, stood out among the many athletes who provided extraordinary sporting moments at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. While some have achieved glory, others have shown remarkable resilience in adversity.

These athletes have found the balance between academic excellence and sporting ambition. Here are their journeys, challenges and successes at the JOP 2024.

Student engineers and athletes: 3 cross-referenced portraits

Boxing, rugby 7s and Paralympic swimming: three demanding disciplines that call for rigour, perseverance and a mind of steel. The careers of these three athletes and engineering students illustrate their ability to reconcile two demanding worlds: top-level sports and engineering school studies.

Alex Portal: ESILV engineering student and quadruple medallist at the 2024 Paralympic Games

Born on 12 February 2002 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Alex Portal, a third-year engineering student at ESILV, continues to make para-swimming history. Visually impaired from birth due to ocular albinism, a genetic disease that affects his vision, Alex can see less than a tenth in each eye and also suffers from nystagmus and photophobia. Despite these challenges, he has established himself as one of the greatest hopes for Paralympic swimming.

A Cercle des Nageurs de l’Ouest member in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Alex Portal, already caused a sensation at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, winning two medals: a silver and a bronze. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, adding four world medals to his tally in 2023. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Alex once again showed the extent of his talent by winning four new medals: three silver and one bronze.

On 29, 30 and 31 August, as well as on 3 September 2024, Alex Portal took second place on the podium in the 100 metres butterfly, 400 metres freestyle and 200 metres medley (S13 category for visually impaired swimmers) before winning bronze in the 100 metres backstroke. This success is the next logical step in his meteoric rise after winning three gold medals and one silver at the world championships in Manchester in 2023. At just 22, he is already a four-time Paralympic medallist.

One of Alex’s biggest battles at the Paris Games was to compete against his historic rival, Belarusian Ihar Boki, who had robbed him of several titles at the European Championships in Funchal in 2023. Although he had to make do with second place in some events, Alex never stopped improving, hoping to reverse the balance of power in future international competitions.

Alex continues his studies at ESILV engineering school alongside his sporting exploits, juggling an intense sporting career with a demanding academic course.

For Alex, the road to new heights is still long, but his record of achievements and attitude point to other significant victories in the future, notably at the forthcoming Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.
Varian Pasquet: FFR Olympic rugby 7s champion and ESILV student.

Varian Pasquet: Olympic 7-a-side rugby champion with the FFR and ESILV student

At 25, Varian Pasquet, born on 29 July 1999 in Paris, is 1.92 m tall and weighs 92 kg, making him one of France’s most promising rugby 7s athletes. As an engineering student at ESILV, Varian already has 127 victories in his name on the world circuit. His talent on the field stands out in particular for his ability to make passes after contact, which are often decisive for his team.

Varian was one of the architects of victory in the semi-final of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games against South Africa. His introduction into the game unlocked a match that had gotten off to a bad start for Les Bleus. With a masterful move through the middle, he set up teammate Rayan Rebbadj, with whom he shared a room during the competition, for a decisive try that revived the team’s momentum. This critical move helped France turn the tide and highlighted Varian’s importance to the squad.

In the final, the French team avenged Fiji, the two-time reigning Olympic champions, with a 28-7 victory. Thanks to this collective performance, Varian Pasquet became Olympic champion for the first time. He was cited as one of the most decisive French players in the competition, particularly for his performance in the semi-final.

Under contract with the French 7-a-side team, Varian recently extended his contract with the national team for another year. He aims to prepare for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, hoping to defend the Olympic title he won in Paris. Ambitious, he also hopes to attract the attention of a Top 14 club to join the rugby union ranks, thus further enriching his career as an elite sportsman.

Varian admits that reconciling his studies with top-level sports has been challenging. He stressed the importance of his support and thanked ESILV for helping him prepare in the best possible conditions and approach the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with peace of mind.

Estelle Mossely: a return to the Games marked by resilience

Estelle Mossely, who graduated from ESILV in 2015, was a torchbearer at the 2024 Olympic Games and Olympic champion in 2016 when she won gold in the under-60kg category in Rio.

The first French boxer to win an Olympic title, Francilienne’s journey has taken her to the top steps of the podium just a few months after she was also crowned lightweight world champion. Since 19 August 2016, she has gone down in boxing history, becoming an emblematic figure for an entire generation.

Now the mother of two boys, a computer engineer, and a top-level athlete, Estelle inspires people beyond the rings. Her career and commitment have earned her the right to be chosen by Mattel as one of the muses of the Barbie brand.

To mark Barbie’s 65th anniversary and celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Mattel wanted to pay tribute to several legendary sportswomen.

Despite this recognition and her status as a role model, the road to Paris 2024 has been challenging for Estelle. On her return to the Olympic ring, she faced American Jajaira Gonzalez. After three fierce rounds, the judges’ decision was split. Estelle had to accept a painful defeat marked by a complicated preparation following a broken nose. The failure left a bitter taste for this Rio Olympic medallist, but her discipline and strength to bounce back fully illustrate her resilience.

Olympic champion, world champion, mother and Barbie icon Estelle Mossely is a source of inspiration for every generation. Despite her disappointment at Paris 2024, she remains a model of perseverance and success, both in the ring and her personal and professional life.

ESILV’s support: a unique course for top-level athletes

Combining a course at an engineering school with a top-level sport is possible!

ESILV offers top-level sportsmen and women the most favourable conditions to enable them to reconcile their career challenges with their engineering school studies.

This programme, specially designed for athletes, combines high academic standards with flexibility, enabling these talented individuals to concentrate on their sporting achievements while pursuing their studies. The SHN Pathway offers several significant advantages:

• A flexible timetable: Students can adapt their timetable to accommodate training, competitions, and lessons without compromising academic performance.
• Flexibility regarding absences: Sportsmen and women can take time off for travel, training, or competitions without negatively impacting their academic progress.
• Distance learning courses with replay facilities: Students can follow courses online and access replays to review the lessons at their own pace.
• Personalised, tutored learning support: Students receive specific support to ensure they can stay on track with their academic objectives, even in prolonged absence.
• Free access to sports facilities: athletes have privileged access to the sports facilities on De Vinci Higher Education campus, enabling them to train in a setting suited to their needs.This comprehensive programme has enabled athletes like Estelle, Varian and Alex to prepare in the best possible conditions for the Olympic and Paralympic Games while continuing their engineering training.

The challenges of a dual career: studies and top-level sport

Combining engineering studies with a sporting career is a real challenge for Estelle, Varian, and Alex.

Between daily training sessions, international competitions, exams and engineering projects, time management becomes an art. All three agree that ESILV’s support has been decisive.

As a school that values support for top-level sportspeople, ESILV offers adjustments to the curriculum, distance learning courses and personalised coaching, enabling student-athletes not to sacrifice one of their passions for the other.

Learn more about ESILV’s educational project.