Where are they now: Jeremie Azou

Jérémie Azou was a dominant force in lightweight rowing throughout the 2010s, culminating in Olympic gold at the Rio 2016 Games. The French sculler left an indelible mark on the sport before stepping away from competitive rowing at age 28. Now, several years into retirement, Azou has embarked on a new chapter — one that continues to reflect his commitment to excellence.

A Career of Precision and Power

Azou’s journey to Olympic glory was a study in perseverance and mastery. Born in Avignon, in the south of France, Azou was first a swimmer, before he tried rowing as a teenager. “When I joined the local club in Avignon, I met a lot of my childhood friends over there, and they were the main reason why I was going back to the club every week.” Soon enough, the results and the performances on the water came, and Azou was selected in the French national team.

He first gained attention on the international stage at the 2008 World Rowing Championships in Linz where, at 19 years of age, he won a silver medal in the lightweight men’s quadruple sculls – the beginning of Azou’s brilliant career, on the water, but also outside of rowing. “I was studying physiotherapy, but in France, the system for Elite athletes was not adapted for performing at the highest level and passing exams at the same time. I was training a lot, and on my time off, I was studying non stop. I never made money out of Rowing, and I knew my time in the sport would be limited, so I needed to prepare for my future. Rowing is hard work, dedication, rigor, oragnisation and sacrifices, that applies as well to our everyday life. Failure was never an option.”

For those who followed his career, Azou is remembered not only for his blistering speed on the water but also for his humility and dedication. While successfully obtaining his diploma as a physiotherapist, Azou truly cemented his legacy in the lightweight men’s double sculls with longtime teammate Stany Delayre – although the duo fell short on an Olympic medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, finishing 4th. “We went to London with the idea of winning a medal. Unfortunately, we saw what happened in the Final (the race had to be re-started after a seat issue with the British boat). “

The pinnacle of Azou’s career came in the next Olympiad – winning Henley in 2014 – “one of my best memories on the water”, and a year later, when he and Delayre became World Champions on home waters at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette. “Strangly enough, even if Stany and I were coping well with the pressure, neither him nor I really wanted to go, remembers Azou. The extra pressure of rowing in France, at home, in front of friends and families, the Olympic qualification… after the race, we both said to each other that we didn’t really wanted to go. But it was cool to win at home.” 

A year later, after a difficult selection process that saw Pierre Houin replacing Stany Delayre in the boat, the combination came to the Rio 2016 Olympics as favourites. And they did not disappoint. “Our strategy, our mindset was different from London, adds Azou. It was not, ‘we can win this race’, but ‘by how much are we winning this race’. Funny enough, during my whole career in that boat, this was the closest margin of victory we had in all the Finals I competed in.” Azou and Houin claimed Olympic gold in Rio, delivering a flawless race and solidifying France’s place at the top of lightweight rowing.

Riding an impressive 33 race winning streak, and after defending his World Championship title at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Azou decided to retire from International rowing. “People tend to forget, that I started my career very young, I could even have been selected for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. I had won it all, and all the sacrifices I had to made throughout the years, it uses you mentally and physically. It was the right decision.”

Life After Rowing

Following his retirement in 2017, Azou traded his oars for a medical career. A qualified physiotherapist, a proud dad of two daughters, he lives in Dijon, in France. And has not stepped into a boat… since his retirement in 2017. “Never say never, but I don’t really miss it to be honest. Rowing is a tough sport, and I quickly see the negative aspects of training in the cold, the wind… but who knows.” Azou enjoys his daily life away from the bright lights. “I never rowed for fame, for acknowledgment – I appreciated it when it was there, but I also enjoy my life now. Transition was smooth, and it is fun when some of my patients Google my name and find out I am an Olympic Champion.”

Despite stepping away from competitive rowing, Azou remains connected to the sport. He occasionally lends his expertise to young rowers and shares insights into what it takes to reach the top. He donated his World Championship and World Cups’ medals to his local club in Avignon. He keeps a critical eye on the sport, and on his home nation’s results at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “The results were really bad, says Azou. Despite the resources, the expertise, there is no excuse for these historically bad results. I can hear the reasons for this failure, I can try to understand, but I can’t really process it.” He also laments the removal of the lightweight categories from the Olympic Games’ programme despite the “good image” of the Sport across the Globe. “I don’t mind adapting, but the lightweight categories, from a biometric perspective, are the average men and women on the street, and I think we will lose a lot of potential rowers.”

Looking back, Azou remains proud of what he achieved in rowing. His journey—from a promising young athlete to an Olympic champion and now a respected physiotherapist—highlights the importance of discipline, adaptability, and vision beyond sport. His legacy stands as a testament to the power of the discipline and the athletes who made it great.