Jordan Sepho

Jordan Sepho
Sepho in 2024
Date of birth (1998-12-08) 8 December 1998 (age 26)
Place of birthPontoise, France
Height194 cm (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Weight105 kg (231 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Inside centre
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Étang-Salé ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Réunion
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
France
Medal record
Men's rugby sevens
Representing  France
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Team competition

Jordan Sepho (born 8 December 1998) is a French rugby union player who competes for the France national rugby sevens team. He competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics and helped France win the gold medal.

Biography

Sepho was born on 8 December 1998 in Pontoise, France.[1][2] He grew up on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, having moved there age three.[2] As he grew up, he tried out multiple sports, including basketball, wrestling and football.[2] At age 17, he tried out rugby union for the first time, joining the local club Étang-Salé.[3]

A rugby union inside centre, Sepho stands at 194 cm (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in) and weighs 105 kilograms (231 lb).[1] He helped the Étang-Salé club win an Indian Ocean tournament and soon after was named to the Réunion national rugby union team.[3] In 2019, he competed at a tournament in Épernay, France, for the Réunion team and scored eight tries, drawing the attention of French scouts.[4] He was offered an opportunity with the French Development team and moved back to the country to join them.[4]

In 2020, Sepho was promoted to the France national rugby sevens team.[4] He made his debut for the national team at the 2020 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, although he stated that "During my first match, I vomited from stress."[2][3] He began "shining" with the national team during the 2021/22 season, playing 11 matches with eight tries scored during two tournaments in Dubai.[4]

Sepho was an important member of the French team that won the 2023–24 SVNS over Argentina.[5][6] He was later chosen to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where he helped France beat Fiji to win the gold medal.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Jordan Sepho". UltimateRugby.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Plancheron-Herault, Raphael (July 2024). "Jordan Sepho (Rugby à 7) : Son palmarès et son histoire" [Jordan Sepho (rugby 7s): his record and his story]. Actu.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Baudin, Gauthier (19 May 2022). "Rugby - Sevens Series à Toulouse. Jordan Sepho : "Mon premier match, j'ai vomi de stress"" [Rugby - Sevens Series in Toulouse. Jordan Sepho: “My first match, I threw up from stress”]. Actu.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Elisabelar, Baptiste (8 December 2021). "Rugby. France 7. L'ascension fulgurante de Jordan Sepho, la nouvelle machine septiste" [Rugby. France 7. The meteoric rise of Jordan Sepho, the new sevens machine]. Le Rugbynistère (in French). Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  5. ^ Guermeur, Emmanuel (6 June 2024). "Rugby: Sepho écrit l'histoire" [Rugby: Sepho writes history]. Le Quotidien de La Réunion [fr] (in French).
  6. ^ a b "JO Paris 2024 – Jordan Sepho, le Réunionnais au parcours atypique qui souhaite se couvrir d'or" [OJ Paris 2024 – Jordan Sepho, the Reunionnais with an atypical course that wants to cover himself with gold]. Midi Olympique (in French). 19 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Le Réunionnais Jordan Sepho médaillé d'Or aux Jeux Olympiques au Rugby à 7 : "Je suis tellement fière de mon fils"" [Reunion Islander Jordan Sepho, Gold medalist at the Olympic Games in Rugby 7s: “I am so proud of my son”]. Linfo.re (in French). 28 July 2024.