2025 AUTOBIOGRAPHY AWARD : Marie-José Pérec

This year, SPORTEL Awards will present the Autobiography Award to a legendary figure of French athletics: Marie-José Pérec.

She will be honored for her book Ma vie olympique, which retraces forty years of an extraordinary journey, from her beginnings in Guadeloupe to the lighting of the Olympic cauldron in Paris, a historic moment shared with Teddy Riner.
A triple Olympic champion, multiple-time Champion of Champions as named by L’Équipe, and an inductee into the IAAF Hall of Fame, she was awarded the title of Commander of the Legion of Honour in 2024.

Nicknamed “La Gazelle”, she continues to inspire the world of sport with her elegance and determination.

Marie-José Pérec said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this award for a book whose sole purpose is to demonstrate that it is possible. Regardless of one’s origin, skin color, or social background, anyone can believe in their dreams and bring them to fruition. If these pages can inspire even a handful of young people to dare, to persevere, and to have faith in themselves, my joy would be boundless”

She will receive this distinction on October 20th during the SPORTEL Awards ceremony.