Born and raised in Paris, Coach Tom began fencing at the age of 8, initially training in foil and épée before finding his true passion in saber by age 12. After switching to saber, he quickly rose through the national ranks—holding the No. 1 spot in France for every youth age category starting at 14.
Tom went on to fence professionally for over a decade, achieving podium results on the world stage, including several World Cup, European Championship, and World Championship medals before retiring in 2024.
As a member of France’s senior national team, he remained among the country’s top four saber fencers and represented France at the World Championships for more than seven consecutive years. Throughout his career, Tom was coached by two of the most renowned figures in international fencing: Christian Bauer and Jean-Philippe Daurelle.
After retiring from elite competition following the Olympic selection cycle for the Paris Games, Tom transitioned to coaching with the goal of passing on both the technical excellence and personal resilience that defined his career. He is passionate about helping young fencers not only master the sport but also develop life skills that he feels he could have learned earlier—like overcoming fear and handling setbacks—that extend far beyond the strip.
Tom holds an engineering degree in Computer Science from La Sorbonne University, graduating in 2021.