It took French figure skater Maé-Bérénice Méité a long time to see herself as a part of history. She hasn’t won any Olympic medals, but as a two-time Olympian (2014 and ’18), European and World competitor in a sport with few Black athletes, she has come to understand that she represents what is possible with self belief.
“I know not all athletes, even the best, get the chance to compete at the Olympics,” Méité said. “I know it’s a very unique opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance for an athlete, and we work so hard to get there. It took me time to realize how much of an honor it was to earn my spot there and I earned it twice.”
Méité considers herself blessed that she did not experience racial bias as a skater growing up in France. In fact, people championed her as the next Surya Bonaly, a renowned French skater who won five European Championships and three World medals.
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“I might have faced a little bit of bias in the sense that I don’t look like your typical figure skater as far as my physique; I’m very athletic,” Méité said. “I knew I couldn’t make any mistakes because I might have been more penalized. I knew I had to aim for ‘perfection’ if I wanted to be rewarded for the hard work.”
The last few years have been challenging. Knee and ankle injuries took her out of competitions and impacted her mental health. At one point, she returned to the ice, rushing her training. Despite a poor finish at Skate Canada in 2023, there was a spark of inspiration when she was invited to skate in the exhibition. She then took the time to fully heal and properly rehabilitate her injuries and is now feeling strong.
Over the past year, she’s performed in shows, including Bol on Ice in Italy, and welcomes more such opportunities. She’s developed her skills as a content creator, hoping to build community as she shares her journey in sport and life on social media. Looking to the future, Méité, 30, is eager to make more history. She is focused on training and hopes a sponsor will help with expenses so she can fulfill her vision of a third Olympics.
“We always aim for more; that’s why we’re high level athletes,” she said. “I know I’m not done.”