Ysaora Jennifer Thibus (born 22 August 1991) is a French right-handed

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

fencer, 2022 individual world champion, three-time Olympian, and 2020 team Olympic silver medalist.

Biography

Ysaora Thibus is studying at the ESCP Business School. In 2013, she received the Bernard Destremau Prize from the

Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, which rewards a high-level athlete who combines competition and higher education. Thibus took up fencing at the age of 7 in

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

. At 17, she moved to France to train with the French national youth team in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

, joining the senior training team in Paris a year later. Thibus competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2016, after winning her first team bronze medal at the Rio Worlds in April, she participated in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. She reached her first individual world podium in 2017 in Leipzig with a third place, then in 2018 in Wuxi where she lost 12–15 in the final to Alice Volpi. In 2021, she won a silver medal in the team foil event with Anita Blaze, Astrid Guyart and Pauline Ranvier at the Tokyo Olympic Games, losing in the final to the Russian team. Beaten in the second round in individual, she said she was "psychologically exhausted" after the Olympic competition and stopped training for four months. Thibus founded the EssentiElle program for women athletes, which aims to amplify their voices within the world of athletics. Thibus and American foil fencer Race Imboden met at a party after the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and began dating shortly afterward. The couple became engaged at Le Pigalle, a hotel in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, after the Tokyo Olympic Games. Thibus was suspended on February 8, 2024, after testing positive for ostarine, a banned substance. She said that her positive doping test was due to "sexual contact" with her fiancé, former Olympic fencer Race Imboden. She appealed her suspension by asserting she was unknowingly contaminated through an exchange of "bodily fluids". On May 21, 2024, she sent out the news that she was cleared from doping charges and was back on track towards competing in the Paris Olympic Games. In August 2024, she competed in the women's individual foil and the team foil events during the Paris Olympics.

Medal record

Olympic Games

World Championship

European Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup

Awards

* Knight of the National Order of Merit (France) on 8 September 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thibus, Ysaora 1991 births Living people French female foil fencers Olympic fencers for France Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Summer World University Games medalists in fencing French people of Guadeloupean descent Sportspeople from Les Abymes FISU World University Games bronze medalists for France World Fencing Championships medalists Medalists at the 2011 Summer Universiade Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in fencing Olympic silver medalists for France 21st-century French sportswomen Fencers at the 2023 European Games European Games silver medalists for France European Games medalists in fencing Fencers at the 2024 Summer Olympics