BONNAIRE JONATHAN

General Information Country: FRA Gender: M Handedness: Right-handed Date of birth: 1991-10-25 License: 25101991002

Further Personal Information Occupation Athlete Languages French Higher education Coaching, Sport Studies - National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance [INSEP]: , FRA

Sport Specific Information When and where did you begin this sport? He began at age five at a club in Cayenne, French Guiana. He then joined a sports school in , before moving to Reims in mainland , where he joined the national junior training programme. Why this sport? He was inspired to take up the sport after meeting French fencer Ulrich Robeiri. Bonnaire's mother encouraged him because he was active as a child and needed an outlet for his energy. "The club was next to my mum's office so I would go there after school." Club / Team Escrime Rodez Aveyron : France Name of coach Stephane Marcelin [national], FRA Handedness Right

General Interest Nicknames Jo (centrepresseaveyron.fr, 07 Jan 2015) Injuries In May 2018 he sustained a right knee injury while competing at the World Cup event in Cali, Colombia, and underwent surgery in July that year, with a second operation required following complications. He returned to competition in late 2019. (Instagram profile, 14 Oct 2019; lequipe.fr, 29 May 2018) Ambitions To compete at the 2020 in Tokyo, and win an Olympic gold medal. (la1ere.francetvinfo.fr, 24 Aug 2016) Other information RETURN TO FRENCH GUIANA After the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo were postponed, he chose to leave his training base at the National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance [INSEP] in Paris, France during the nation's second lockdown to spend time with his family in the overseas territory French Guiana. "I decided to take a step back [from training]. I was going to stop after the Olympics and right now I don't have the strength to face the frustration every day. I'm preparing myself in relation to my coach and my physical trainer, but I didn't see myself staying at INSEP and continuing training without any competitions. It allows me to spend time with my family, the people I love. I left home when I was 15. Now my parents are older. It's important to be with them." (centrepresseaveyron.fr, 18 Dec 2020)

COACHING He is a fencing master [maitre d'armes] and has coached at the Paris Levallois club in France. (guyane2014-2016.org, 15 Sep 2016)