Lucie Schoonheere, 16: French champion 2026 - and she was already at the Olympics at 14

On 27 July 2024, at Place de la Concorde, a 14-year-old walked into the Olympic park wearing the French national kit. She was the youngest athlete in the entire French delegation - across all sports. She finished 11th.

Two years on, she is 16 and holds three French street skateboarding titles. Her name is Lucie Schoonheere.

Age 8, an older brother, a board lying around

Born in Paris in 2010, she discovered skateboarding at 8 by watching her older brother. By 12 she was already competing nationally and internationally - running judged runs under pressure while most kids her age were still fighting their first kickflip.

2022: Bordeaux, and a first national title

That year she left the Paris region for Bordeaux to continue school, and won the French under-16 championship. A year later, in 2023, she became French street champion across all categories. At 13. Number one in France.

27 July 2024: the youngest of the whole delegation

Women's street skateboarding, Place de la Concorde. Final score: 228.05 points, 11th place, eliminated before the final. On paper it looks like a missed chance. In practice, it was a 14-year-old holding an Olympic run in front of thousands of people and a worldwide audience without falling apart.

2025 and 2026: senior French champion, twice

After an Olympic cycle, many young talents drop off the radar. She did the opposite: French senior street champion in 2025, and again in 2026. Senior - not the youth bracket. She beats skaters sometimes ten years older. Three national titles at 16, two of them against the seniors: no other French female skater has built that this fast.

Why the name matters now

French women's skateboarding has long lacked a figure with staying power. Schoonheere is 16, with three national titles, one Olympic Games behind her and, in theory, two or three Olympic cycles ahead. At Los Angeles 2028 she will be 18. The comparison with Chloe Covell is hard to avoid - same age, same generation. The difference is context: the Australian skates in a country that has structured its elite pathway for twenty years, while Schoonheere is coming through a French ecosystem still being built. That makes every title a lot less obvious than it looks.