A fantastic victory full of energy and optimism for Luka Mkheidze in the European Championships! Competing in the under-60 kg category, Luka Mkheidze saw off Ukrainian Dilshot Khalmatov in the finals and picked up a gold medal. First victory in a major championship tournament for this utterly committed judoka: “I kept telling myself over and over again: you just cannot lose this – otherwise you will regret it. I concentrated and I gave it my all”.
Luka Mkheidze arrived in France in 2010, fleeing from the war in Georgia, and was proud to bring back this medal to the people of Montpellier: “I wanted to have it at home, in front of my family and my trainers. It's a way for me to express my thanks to France. It's something I'm proud of, because France opened its arms to me and welcomed me”.
Thanks to this victory, the Team ENGIE athlete, who has been supported by the Group since 2018, will get to be part of the French selection for next summer. His aim: repeat what he accomplished in Tokyo where he won third place.
Madeleine Malonga also took part in the European Championships, competing in the under-78 kg category.
Eliminated in the first round, this Team ENGIE judoka did not have time to prove her worth. But all is not lost for Madeleine Malonga: she is still in the running to qualify.
From 10 to 12 November, Fréjus hosted the final of the 2023 ENGIE Kite Tour. An opportunity for the three Team ENGIE kitesurfers to shine. Poema Newland and Axel Mazella tried out a new sport: wingfoil. Axel Mazella took first place in the stage! Alex Caizergues was also competing – in the directional board competition. And that earned him a podium place as well: he won gold for that stage.
European Disability Employment Week ran from 20 to 26 November. It was an opportunity for multiple-time para table tennis champion Fabien Lamirault and his trainer Fabrice Kosiak to visit ENGIE's head office. Employees got to talk to them and go up against Team ENGIE's double Paralympic table tennis champion.
Luka Mkheidze and Madeleine Malonga paid a visit to ENGIE's head office in early November as part of a seminar organised by the network of young professionals (YPN community). It was an opportunity for this community to engage in discussion with the athletes about their performance and their career. At the end of the day, they both attended Catherine MacGregor's closing address at the seminar.
Team ENGIE athletes Poema Newland, Axel Mazella and Pierre Le Coq all have one thing in common: the Armée des Champions (the army of champions). The second gathering of the year was held in Fontainebleau – they were in attendance to experience life as soldiers for a few days.
