Kevin Peponnet

SailGP

Kevin Peponnet joined the France SailGP Team ahead of the start of Season 3, replacing Leigh McMillan to debut at the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix in May 2022.

Youth

Sailing is a family affair for Peponnet, with his father and uncle both medal winners in the sport. As a result, Peponnet has a lot of pressure on his shoulders - as well as the ambition to write his own story in professional sailing.

Peponnet started sailing young, beginning with the Optimist aged 6 before moving on to helm the 420 and then the 470 - the family's favourite boat.

Career

European champion and then runner-up in the 470 Junior World Championship in 2011, Peponnet then decided to mix things up and regularly change class. J80, SB20, Diam 24... he multiplied his experiences in crew, notably with Quentin Delapierre on the Tour de France à la Voile 2016 which they won.

In 2017, he teamed up with Jérémie Mion - who had just returned from the Rio Olympics - to aim for Tokyo 2020 in the 470. At the same time, Kevin continued his adventure alongside Delapierre's Team Lorina Limonade, with whom he once again won the 2018 Tour de France à la Voile with flying colours. This was a year that will remain engraved in his memory, as he followed it up with a fine victory in the World Championships with Jérémie Mion.

The year of the Games finally arrived and the 470 duo showed, once again, that they could be counted on by winning the European Championship title. And then, 33 years after his uncle, Peponnet put his name on the list of Olympians. But the performance was not to be, and the duos left Tokyo with an 11th place finish.

The 470 then became mixed with a view to the Paris 2024 Olympics. After having considered a new Olympiad with Aloïse Retornaz, Peponnet decided to devote himself fully to his new challenge on board the F50 tricolore, alongside his friend and long-time teammate, Delapierre. The immense pleasure of their reunion, his unfailing morale, and his energy inspire the whole team, whose new dynamic will soon bear fruit.

Personal

Although he now lives in Marseille with his family, Peponnet never misses an opportunity to visit his parents in Saint-Jean-De-Luz - returning to his roots in his native region to which he is very attached.

In parallel to his sporting career, Peponnet has also obtained an engineering degree from INSA in Rennes in materials science and engineering. These skills are useful to him on a daily basis within the France SailGP Team.