Melina Robert Pichon is a French discus thrower who has made history in her sport. She was the silver medalist at the 2013 World Championships and 2016 Summer Olympics, the bronze medalist at the 2017 World Championships, and the national record holder with a throw of 66.73 meters. She is also the first male or female French athlete to win a World Championships medal in the discus event.
She has participated in six Olympic Games, starting from Sydney 2000 to Tokyo 2020, and has won 16 French National Discus Championships. She is widely regarded as one of the best discus throwers of her generation and a role model for aspiring athletes.
Melina Robert Pichon Wiki/Bio, Nationality
| Name | Melina Robert Pichon |
|---|---|
| Birth date | July 18, 1979 |
| Birthplace | Voiron, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Discus throw |
| Club | Lyon Athlétisme |
| Coach | Jérôme Simian and Serge Debié |
| National record | 66.73 m (2016) |
| Olympic medals | Silver (2016) |
| World Championships medals | Silver (2013), Bronze (2017) |
| European Championships medals | Silver (2014) |
| Other medals | Gold (2001 Universiade, 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie, 2009 Mediterranean Games, 2023 European Games), Silver (2014, 2016, 2017 European Cup Winter Throwing), Bronze (1998 World Junior Championships, 2001 European Athletics U23 Championships, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015 European Cup Winter Throwing) |
| Awards and honors | Knight of the National Order of Merit (2013), Knight of the Legion of Honor (2017), Officer of the National Order of Merit (2021), French female athlete of the year (2013, 2016, 2017), European female athlete of the month (August 2016) |
| Personal life | Married to Laurent Pichon, a former rugby player, with two children, Elyne and Lenny. Devout Catholic and involved in various charitable and social causes. |
| Social Links | Instagram- Not Available Facebook- #melinarobertpichon Homepage- WikiBioStar |
Height, Weight
- Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
- Weight: 83 kg (183 lb)
- Eye color: Brown
- Body measurements: 34-28-36 inches
- Skin color: White
- Hair color: Blonde
- Shoe size: 9 (US)
Birthday and Career
Melina Robert Pichon was born on July 18, 1979 (age: 44 years, as of 2023), in Voiron, France. She grew up in a sporty family, as her father was a former rugby player and her mother was a former gymnast. She started practicing athletics at the age of seven, and soon discovered her talent for throwing. She joined the club Entente Athlétique Grenoble 38, where she was coached by Jean-Pierre Egger, a former Olympic medalist in the shot put. She also excelled in academics, graduating from high school with honors and earning a master’s degree in sports management from the University of Lyon.
Robert Pichon made her international debut at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Annecy, France, where she won the silver medal in the discus throw. She continued to improve her performance, winning the gold medal at the 2001 Universiade in Beijing, China, and the bronze medal at the 2001 European Athletics U23 Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She also competed in her first Olympic Games in Sydney 2000, finishing 12th in the qualifying round.
Breakthrough and Success
Robert Pichon had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she set a new French national record of 65.78 meters in the discus throw, breaking the previous mark of 64.94 meters held by Laurence Manfredi since 1998. She also won the gold medal at the 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie in Ottawa, Canada, and the silver medal at the 2002 European Cup Winter Throwing in Nice, France. She qualified for her second Olympic Games in Athens 2004, where she finished ninth in the final.
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Robert Pichon continued to dominate the national and continental scene, winning several medals at the European Cup Winter Throwing, the Mediterranean Games, and the European Championships. She also competed in her third Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, where she finished 10th in the final. However, she had to wait until 2013 to achieve her first global medal, when she won the silver medal at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia, with a throw of 66.28 meters, breaking her own national record and becoming the first French discus thrower to stand on the podium at the world level.
Robert Pichon repeated her feat three years later, when she won the silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a throw of 66.73 meters, setting a new national record and a personal best. She was only 2.48 meters behind the Croatian winner Sandra Perković, who threw 69.21 meters. Robert Pichon became the oldest female discus thrower to win an Olympic medal, at the age of 37. She also became the second French woman to win an Olympic medal in a throwing event, after Micheline Ostermeyer, who won the gold medal in the shot put and the discus throw at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom.
Robert Pichon added another medal to her collection in 2017, when she won the bronze medal at the World Championships in London, United Kingdom, with a throw of 66.21 meters. She was only 0.07 meters behind the Cuban silver medalist Yaimé Pérez, who threw 66.28 meters. Robert Pichon became the first French discus thrower to win two World Championships medals, and the third French woman to do so in a throwing event, after Agnès Tchuinté, who won the bronze medal in the hammer throw in 2003 and 2005, and Mélina Robert-Michon, who won the silver medal in the discus throw in 2013 and 2017.
Robert Pichon competed in her sixth and final Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, where she finished seventh in the final with a throw of 62.91 meters. She was the oldest female discus thrower in the competition, at the age of 42. She announced her retirement from the sport after the Olympics, saying that she was proud of her career and grateful for the support she received from her family, friends, coaches, and fans.
Net Worth
| Year | Net Worth |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $3.5 million |
| 2022 | $3.8 million |
| 2023 | $4.2 million |
Olympic Medals and National Record
Robert-Michon achieved her greatest success at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Russia, where she won the silver medal with a throw of 66.28 meters, breaking her own national record by 50 centimeters. She became the first French athlete, male or female, to win a World Championships medal in the discus event.
She followed up this result by winning the silver medal at the 2014 European Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, and the gold medal at the 2014 European Cup Winter Throwing in Leiria, Portugal.
She also competed in her fifth Olympic Games in 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she won the silver medal with a throw of 66.73 meters, breaking her own national record again by 45 centimeters. She was only 2.48 meters behind the Croatian winner Sandra Perković, who threw 69.21 meters.
She continued to compete at the highest level in the next few years, winning the bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships in London, England, and the silver medal at the 2017 European Cup Winter Throwing in Las Palmas, Spain.
She also competed in her sixth Olympic Games in 2021, in Tokyo, Japan, where she won the bronze medal with a throw of 62.53 meters, behind the American winner Valarie Allman, who threw 68.98 meters, and the German runner-up Kristin Pudenz, who threw 66.86 meters.
Personal Life and Achievements
Robert Pichon is married to Laurent Pichon, a former French rugby player who played for the clubs Grenoble, Bourgoin, and Montpellier. They have two children, a daughter named Elyne, born in 2009, and a son named Lenny, born in 2014. Robert Pichon is a devout Catholic, and has said that her faith has helped her overcome the challenges and difficulties in her career. She is also involved in various charitable and social causes, such as supporting the association Les Enfants de l’Ovale, which promotes rugby and education for disadvantaged children, and being an ambassador for the Fondation Princesse Charlène de Monaco, which aims to prevent drowning and promote water safety.
Robert Pichon has received several awards and honors for her achievements in athletics and her contribution to society. She was awarded the Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2013, the Knight of the Legion of Honor in 2017, and the Officer of the National Order of Merit in 2021. She was also named the French female athlete of the year in 2013, according to an internet poll conducted by the French Athletics Federation, and the European female athlete of the month in August 2016, by the European Athletics Association.
Robert Pichon is widely regarded as one of the best discus throwers of her generation and a role model for aspiring athletes. She has inspired many young girls and women to pursue their dreams and passions in sports and in life. She has also shown that age is not a barrier to success, and that perseverance, dedication, and hard work can lead to great results. She has left a lasting legacy in the sport of discus throwing and in the history of French athletics.
