“We went through a lot of emotions until the explosion of joy”, testifies Catherine Martin, of Briatexte. She is the mother of Émilie Martin, 32, a pro player of Usspa volleyball until 2013 and married, since 2018, with Benjamin Toniutti, captain of the French volleyball team. Which made the whole of France vibrate in volleyball and much more by winning, on August 7 in Tokyo, nothing less than Olympic gold.
“They weren’t necessarily going to go looking for gold, but they were aiming for the podium… So to win gold was the Grail”, enthuses Catherine Martin, originally from Réalmont. With her husband Roger, from Graulhet, they had planned everything to be present in Tokyo when the Olympics were still to be held in 2020. “We had tickets, reservations for accommodation … With the pandemic, we did not have was able to go. This year, we played it safe, we gave up the idea of going there, “says Catherine. It was on vacation in Arcachon, in a campsite, that they followed the exploits of their son-in-law Benjamin, until the final gold.
“It’s great to share”
Alsatian by birth, Benjamin began his career in Pfasstt in Haut-Rhin with his father, a trainer, from 1995 to 2005. At 15, he joined the national volleyball center. From 2010 to 2013, he joined the Sète club, before then flying abroad, first to Italy, to PRC Ravenna, then to Russia, to Zenit Kazan. Since 2014, he has been delighting Polish club Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle. After six years at Kedzierzyn-Kozle, the captain of the Blues, has signed up for at least two years, with the other big club in Poland, Jastrzebski, and will form a sacred attacking duo with Stephen Boyer.
“We saw Benjamin at Briatexte last May. He had a little break before the Olympics. He went back to Poland and Emilie joined him in mid-September with Lilou 6 years old and Millia 2 and a half years old. We will see them at Christmas if we can go to Poland, if not, it will be next May, “says Catherine. “It’s great to share all the congratulatory messages even if we don’t have much to do with it. Around us, people were very happy,” says Emilie’s mother, laughing. Without forgetting his younger daughter Pauline, 25, trained like her sister at the Cadalen club then at the France pole of Toulouse, who continued her career at the Istres club. With a golden brother-in-law.
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