Events

Romain CANNONE: the fine blade of Champagne GARDET

Thursday 1 July 2021

Champagne celebrates success because it brings luck.

This is the beautiful story of Romain Cannone, a past member of Maison Gardet's staff who became an Olympic fencing champion.

Gardet Champagne, a lovely company based in Chigny-les-Roses, is smiling today: Romain Cannone, one of its former employees in the export department, has won the gold medal in epee at the Tokyo Olympic Games. He is the first Frenchman to achieve this victory since 1992. The 24-year-old is one of the great surprises of these Games. A simple substitute, the fencer only owes his participation in the individual competition to the withdrawal of Daniel Jérent. The president of the Maison Gardet, Christophe Prieux, remembers this very discreet young man: "Romain was already talking to us about participating in the Olympic Games, it was his dream. He was simultaneously studying at the business school in Reims (NEOMA BS), doing sports training at the CREPS, and working at Gardet. He was in charge of the American market (a country he knew well because he had spent part of his youth there, his parents having opened macaroon shops). It was in the United States that his passion for fencing was born). He had also helped us prepare for ProWein 2018. He remained an ambassador for the brand, we had inducted him at a Gardet Party. He even brought the French team to visit us. Romain Cannone was a very calm, composed personality, and when we rediscovered him three years later in Tokyo, I was amazed! In Tokyo, the journalists gave him the nickname "champagne fencing", not only because of his career, but also because of his very flamboyant and cheerful style. On the mat, he is almost dancing around his opponent! Of course, we sent him a magnum which he will discover when he returns home to Paris. Let's bet that he will sabotage him with his sword!

Article written by Yves Tesson – Terre de Vins