| Marlène Nidecker | |
| Full Name: | Marlène Olivia Nidecker |
| Residence: | Monaco |
| Birth Date: | 1986 10, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Height: | 5 ft 7 in |
Marlène Olivia Nidecker (born 22 October 1986) is a Canadian-born French taekwondo Olympic medalist, Knight of the National Order of Merit decorated by the President of France, MBA graduate with Honors from the International University of Monaco and sports patron.
She is a two-time European Champion, World University Champion, a World Taekwondo Championships medalist,[1] and has reached the world number one ranking.
She is a Champion for Peace representing Peace and Sport, placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee and of the European Taekwondo Union, and a board member of the French Olympian Association. She is also Ambassador of the International center for youth philosophy PhiloJeunes since 2018.
Nidecker started to practice Taekwondo at the age of 4. She earned a black belt at 9 and won a junior national championship. At 13, she participated to the 2000 World Junior Championships, ranked third, and was recruited by the French taekwondo federation.[2]
She joined the CREPS Aix-en-Provence for the 2001-2002 sport season with Pascal Gentil and Mamedy Doucara. She won the Francophone World Cup in the -67 kg division. She returned to Canada after a year and put her premature career on hold, until Myriam Baverel invited her back to the CREPS Aix-en-Provence in 2006.
While in France, she trained and studied, earning a certificate in physical education and a master's degree (bac+4) in sport management, but could not compete professionally because her French citizenship was still pending. In 2008, just days after receiving her French naturalization, Nidecker won the European Championships in the -63 kg category.
In 2008, Nidecker joined the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP) in Paris to prepare for the London Olympics. Two times European Champion, World university Champion and medalist, she dominated the international scene and won the US Open, Russia Open, Israel Open, Paris International Tournament, and Deutsch Open, and medalled at the World Taekwondo Championships. She also won an Olympic quota for France at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Kazan, Russia.
Nidecker won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. She beat Yeny Contreras in the first round, followed by Hedaya Wahba in the quarter-finals.[3] She then lost to Hou Yuzhuo in the semi-finals. This enabled her to take part in the bronze medal repechage, where she beat Mayu Hamada.
In 2013, after being expelled from the French taekwondo team, she accused Myriam Baverel of psychological and physical abuse during her training, and said she was forced to sign a marriage contract to secure her French citizenship.[4] [5]
In 2014, she founded the Fondation Heart Angel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast to promote education, culture and sports in West Africa. The foundation supported the athletes Cheick Cissé and Ruth Gbagbi who won historic medals for their country at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.[6]
In 2016, Nidecker became a Champion for Peace representing the Peace and Sport organisation, under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco. She actively promotes peace through sport and doing field actions all over the world.[7]
In parallel to her sport career, she obtained a BA in Journalism and Communications at the Centre de Formation de Journalistes de Paris, starred in an advertising campaign for Allianz with Ladji Doucouré and Blune with Mazarine Pingeot, and worked for various media outlets such as Eurosport, Canal+ Africa and France Televisions, covering the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. She is also involved with various foundations and is an ambassador for "Un Maillot Pour la Vie" and Fondation Heart Angel.
Nidecker is also the founder and president of the Caravan for Peace, a humanitarian action supported by athletes such as Didier Drogba, Ladji Doucouré and Daba Modibo Keita. The goal is to unite sports celebrities to promote a message of peace and use sport as a tool for development. In 2017, for the first edition, the sports celebrities visited villages in Senegal and launched water fountains near sports fields.[8] In 2018, during UNESCO's International Day for Philosophy, she was appointed Ambassador of the International center for youth philosophy PhiloJeunes.
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