Félicia Ballanger facts for kids

Félicia Ballanger is a famous French racing cyclist who is now retired. She was born on June 12, 1971, in La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendée, France. Félicia became a champion in track cycling, winning many important races.

She won five world championships in two different events: the sprint and the 500-meter time trial. She also became a triple Olympic champion. Félicia is 1.68 metres (5 ft 6 in) tall and weighs 70 kilograms (150 lb).

Félicia's Early Life and Career

Félicia Ballanger grew up with one brother, Frédéric. Her mother was a big fan of cycling and named Félicia after an Italian Tour de France winner, Felice Gimondi. Her brother was named after a Spanish winner, Federico Bahamontes.

When she was younger, Félicia was good at two sports: cycling and handball. She was part of a cycling club called Vendée la Roche Cycliste.

First Competitions and Challenges

Félicia competed in her first world championship and finished fourth. The next year, in 1992, she also came fourth at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. In 1993, she had a tough year. She crashed and broke her collarbone. A piece of wood from the velodrome (the track where cyclists race) even pierced her thigh.

Becoming a World Champion

After her injury, Félicia worked hard. She won her first world championship medal in 1994, taking silver in the sprint event. She was trained by Daniel Morelon, who was also a former world sprint champion.

In 1995, Félicia won her first gold medals at the world championships. She won both the 500-meter time trial and the sprint. She continued to dominate, winning both these events for the next four years in a row! She also won an Olympic gold medal in the sprint at the Atlanta Games.

Olympic Success and Retirement

Félicia's last big international competition was the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She won the 500-meter time trial there. In the same year, she received the Vélo d'Or français award, which is a special prize for the best French cyclist. She was the only woman to win this award until 2022.

After retiring from cycling in 2001, Félicia became the vice-president of the Fédération Française de Cyclisme, which is the main organization for cycling in France.

Personal Life

Félicia Ballanger is married and has two children. Since 1998, she has lived in Nouméa, a city in New Caledonia. She is also involved in local politics there, which means she helps make decisions for her community. In 2008, she worked as a television commentator during the Olympic Games in Beijing, sharing her cycling knowledge with viewers.

Major Achievements

Félicia Ballanger had an amazing career. Here are some of her top wins:

Olympic Games Medals

• 1996: 1st place in Sprint
• 2000: 1st place in Sprint, 1st place in 500m Time Trial

World Championship Medals

• 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999: 1st place in Sprint
• 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999: 1st place in 500m Time Trial
• 1994: 2nd place in Sprint
• 1988: 1st place in Junior Sprint

National Championships

• Sprint: 1992, 1994, and more
• Youth Sprint: 1986

World Records

Félicia also set several world records in the 500-meter time trial:

• 35.811 seconds on July 3, 1993, in Hyères
• 35.190 seconds on July 28, 1993, in Bordeaux
• 34.604 seconds on July 3, 1994, in Hyères
• 34.474 seconds on July 22, 1994, in Colorado Springs
• 34.017 seconds on September 29, 1995, in Bogota
• 34.010 seconds on August 29, 1998, in Bordeaux

See also

In Spanish: Félicia Ballanger para niños