At 19, the Catalan Emma Charlet wins over 800 m in France and already discovers the high European level, while continuing demanding studies at INSA Toulouse. Portrait of a promising athlete.
Catalan and installed in Cases-de-Pène, Emma Charlet (19) has always bathed in a sporting atmosphere. Daughter of ultra-trail enthusiasts and sister of two also athletic boys, she nevertheless started with climbing before moving towards running. “At the beginning, I didn’t like to run too much”, she smiles. But the family outings of the weekend gradually shaped his taste for the half-distance.
At twelve, she joined the Bompas club where she forged her first friendships and her athletic bases. Quickly, the 800 m imposed itself as its specialty. “At the club, I had a lot of friends, but no one who made my discipline. My training, I did them alone and then I started working with Alain Nieto.”, Savor the one who makes a lot of bike when she does not run.
Today, the young athlete is dismissed at Athlé 66 but mainly trains in Toulouse, where she joined a group led by Ali Belkacem. “This is my first year there. I discovered a big half-distance group with girls who have the same discipline as me. It changes everything.”
It happened to me some weeks to do 11 training sessions, without rest days
Student at the Toulouse INSA in engineering school (second year), EMMA benefits from a course development allowing her to reconcile studies and sport. “My first two years, I do them in three. It leaves me time to train.” The daily life is dense: up to 11 weekly sessions, between tracks, ribs, bodybuilding and jogging. “This year, I started to double. Double, these are jogging, these are not two huge sessions but I had at least 3 days a week when I was jogging in the morning before going to class, then at noon and in the evening, session with everyone on the track. We have coast sessions. It happened to me about 11 training sessions, without resting days”summarizes this enthusiast
The results follow. In 2023, she won the junior French championships and last spring carried out the minima which opened the doors of Europe to her. “I finished 11e at the European Championships. The experience was incredible, even if the level was very raised. “ Its current record is 2’05”05, made in Lyon in 2025. So its short -term objective? The one to descend under the two minutes aims at the champion.
Beyond the times, Emma Charlet also lives her passion with the family. His parents and brothers regularly accompany him on competitions, in France and abroad. “In Finland, for the European championships, they were all there. It helped me a lot, even to warm -up.”
Already four times French champion (indoor and outdoors, among younger and junior), the hope of French discipline looks towards the future with ambition and lucidity. The Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 still seem a bit far, but not impossible. In the meantime, the student-athlete wants to progress regularly and cross the stages one by one.
“I love what I do. Fortunately, it’s not a sacrifice”, she concludes. Supported by her Bompas club and now followed by Adidas, she embodies the new generation of the French half-footage. A determined young woman, ready to combine high level and demanding studies, without sacrificing anything of her passion.
