Guillaume Chaine

Guillaume Chaine is a French judoka known for competing in the -73 kg weight class and contributing to France's international success, most notably as part of the team that secured the gold medal in the mixed team event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. ^{[1] [2]} Born on October 24, 1986, in Colombes, Chaine has built a solid career on the IJF World Judo Tour, highlighted by his gold medal victory at the 2019 Grand Prix in Tbilisi, where he defeated strong international opponents in the final. ^[3] He also claimed gold at the 2017 European Open in Lisbon and earned bronze at the 2017 Grand Prix in Düsseldorf, demonstrating consistent performance across continental and grand prix-level events. ^[4] In addition to individual achievements, Chaine has been a key member of France's national team, including earning gold at the 2022 European Mixed Team Judo Championships and securing notable placings in grand slams and other major tournaments. ^[5] His career reflects dedication to high-level competition and teamwork in one of judo's most successful national programs.

Early life

Birth and background

Guillaume Chaine was born on 24 October 1986 in Colombes, France.^[6][7] He holds French nationality by birth.^[6] Chaine stands at a height of 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m).^[6]

Judo career

Early career and national achievements

Guillaume Chaine began his competitive judo journey in the cadet category, where he won the French U17 Championships title in the U50 kg weight class in Paris in 2002. ^[4] He advanced to the junior level, earning a silver medal in the U60 kg division at the French U20 Championships in Paris in 2004. ^[4] Chaine transitioned to senior competition in the U66 kg category, securing a silver medal at the French Championships in Dijon in 2007. ^[4] He subsequently moved to the U73 kg weight class, which became his primary division, and built a strong national record with one gold medal at the French Championships in Villebon/Yvette in 2014, three silver medals in Dijon (2007), Montbéliard (2010), and Caen (2023), and four bronze medals in Paris (2012), Marseille (2013), Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (2017), and Rouen (2018). ^[4] Early in his senior career, Chaine achieved international success at lower-tier events, including a gold medal victory at the GB World Cup in Birmingham in the U73 kg category in 2009. ^[4] He also won gold at the Swiss Open in Baar in 2009 and at several International Tournaments in Besançon across multiple years. ^[4]

International senior career

Guillaume Chaine competed primarily in the –73 kg weight class throughout his senior international judo career. ^{[5] [4]} On the IJF World Tour, he secured one gold medal at the Grand Prix Tbilisi in 2019, one silver medal at the Grand Slam Tyumen in 2015, and two bronze medals at the Grand Prix Düsseldorf in 2017 and the Grand Prix Antalya in 2019. ^[4] He also won multiple gold medals in Continental Open events, including the European Open Lisbon in 2017, the European Open Glasgow in 2015, the European Open Minsk in 2015, and the African Open Tunis in 2015, while earning a bronze at the Oceania Open Perth in 2019. ^[4] In individual World Championships appearances, Chaine reached the round of 16 in both 2018 and 2019 in the –73 kg category. ^[4] He similarly advanced to the round of 16 at the 2020 European Championships in the same weight class. ^[4] Chaine contributed to France's successes in mixed team competitions, winning bronze at the 2019 European Games mixed team event in Minsk and gold at the 2022 European Mixed Team Judo Championships in Mulhouse. ^[4]

Olympic Games participation

Guillaume Chaine represented France at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) as part of the mixed team event, where France earned the gold medal.^[1] He appeared as himself in two episodes of the official Olympic broadcast coverage titled Tokyo 2020: Games of the XXXII Olympiad. These appearances documented his participation and the Games' events from an athlete's perspective.

Acting and media appearances

Film acting role

Guillaume Chaine has one credited acting role in narrative film, appearing in the 2011 French drama Our Paradise (Notre Paradis), directed by Gaël Morel. ^{[8] [9]} In the film, he portrayed the character credited as "Gogo-boy sous la douche." ^[7] This brief role represents his only known scripted acting credit in cinema, distinct from his appearances as himself in media and sports coverage. ^[7]

Self appearances in media

Guillaume Chaine has made limited but notable appearances as himself in non-fiction media, primarily linked to his judo career and associated promotional projects.^[7] In 2008, he appeared as Self in the video "Dieux du stade: Le making of du calendrier 2009", a behind-the-scenes documentary on the creation of the annual Dieux du Stade calendar, which featured various French athletes and personalities.^[10] These appearances often involved athletes posing for the calendar, with this making-of capturing the production process.^[7] He also featured in the 2021 TV mini-series "Tokyo 2020: Games of the XXXII Olympiad", credited in two episodes as Self - Judoka (France), reflecting coverage of his involvement with the French judo team and Mixed Team at the Olympic Games.^[7] This series documented various aspects of the event, including athlete profiles and competitions.^[7] These self-appearances are distinct from scripted acting roles and focus on his real-life identity as a judoka in sports-related and promotional contexts.^[7]

Personal life

Personal details and background

Guillaume Chaine is a French national. ^{[11] [6]} He is affiliated with the CO Sartrouville Judo club (also known as COS Judo) in Sartrouville, France. ^{[11] [6]} Chaine has an older brother who also practiced judo. ^[11] He stands 175 cm tall and is associated with the -73 kg weight category in his sport. ^{[11] [6]} Chaine spent a significant portion of his childhood in Guadeloupe before relocating to Grenoble in metropolitan France. ^[11]