My name is Justin Fournier, and I was born on March 31, 2005. 

In the summer of 2015, I won the Swiss UBS Kids Cup in my age category. At that moment, one thing was clear: this is what I wanted to do with my life. But I wasn’t prepared for everything that would follow.

Since 2021, I have dedicated myself exclusively to pole vaulting. I train every week with the goal of always jumping higher.

The summer of 2021 marked a turning point in my career: At just 16 years old, I qualified for the U20 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. I finished 14th, just two places away from the final, achieving a jump over five meters for the third time that season.

In 2022, I competed in the U18 European Championships in Jerusalem, Israel. My entire training was focused on this goal, and I finished with an honorable fourth place.

In 2024, I obtained my high school diploma, won the Junior Gala in Mannheim once again, and finished 17th at the Junior World Championships despite a heel fracture two months before the competition. Thus, my junior years in athletics come to an end.

I also met a sports mechanics engineer who developed his own brand of poles. I was the first international athlete to test the DEFY AND LEAP poles, which I find very promising. This encounter made me realize what I wanted to do after my athletic career, so upon my return to Switzerland, I enrolled in an engineering program at a university.

No major international championship was originally on my schedule for 2026. However, I always kept the possibility of competing at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham somewhere in the back of my mind.

I therefore focused on consistency and enjoying every competition. With 10 competitions between 5.35 m and 5.47 m, I managed to maintain a high level throughout the season and, following my Swiss Championship title, secured my qualification through the ranking.

This gave me the opportunity to compete at my first European Championships in Birmingham, where I finished 18th. An incredible experience that I probably would not have imagined at the beginning of the season.

Beyond the performances, 2026 will mainly be remembered as a year full of great encounters. I had the opportunity to compete at amazing events in France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Portugal. Incredible crowds, an amazing atmosphere, and above all, wonderful encounters with athletes, passionate fans and people who make every competition unique.

I am grateful to have experienced all these moments with my team and to continue sharing my passion for pole vaulting.

The adventure continues. Stay tuned for what’s next! 🚀