Tahitian teenager Louis Beaubois made headlines again last week after seizing the bronze medal in the Men’s Singles at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games.
His podium finish comes two years after he soaked up the media attention at the TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup 2017 in the Gold Coast where he was the youngest competitor (15 years old).
The youngster celebrated one win during the world’s biggest Mixed Team event and has come on leaps and bounds since. Beaubois went on to attend the Oceania Junior Player Development camp in 2017 which fuelled his growth and passion for the sport.
“2017 was the year that everything clicked and fell into place for me. I decided to take it seriously and lose some weight so I could to train and compete at the highest level, including at the Oceania development camp in Napier, New Zealand.”, says Louis.
Since the training camp, Louis has progressed through the ranks, competing in BWF Future Series and Continental Championships where he defeated more established players from New Zealand and Australia.
Having rightly earned his spot with Team Tahiti for the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, Beaubois first contributed to the team’s bronze medal in the Mixed Team event before taking to the podium in the Men’s Singles Individual event.
In the Quarter-Finals, Beaubois proved that he may not be living in the shadow of Tahiti’s golden boy (and eventual winner), Rémi Rossi, much longer as he ousted New Caledonia’s second seed Ronan Ho-Yagues in three thrilling games (21-15 11-21 21-19).
Hours later, Louis was on the brink of victory as he was up 19-15 in the third end of his Semi-Final match. However, a couple of mistakes later and the more experienced opponent (Yohan De Geoffroy – New Caledonia) was on his way to the final.
Rémi Rossi (left) and Louis Beaubois (right). Photo: Pacific Games News Service – Therese Rivers
Nevertheless, Beaubois was quick to learn from his mistakes as he found himself in a similar position in the bronze medal match against fellow compatriot, Quentin Bernaix. Excited by the chance to win his first individual medal on the Pacific stage, Beaubois held his nerve to win 18-21 22-20 21-17 and therefore affirming his ambition for the future.
“I remembered my mistakes and was able to win. I was really happy to win, but sad for Quentin. He played really well in the first game.”
“My international experience is getting really good. Getting to meet top players along the way is inspirational and I hope I can break it into the world’s top 100 one day”, says Louis.
Fellow teammate, Rémi Rossi, has set the standard for the Pacific after denying any opponent more than 11 points in a single game against him in the Men’s Singles. With six years more life experience than Beaubois, Rossi has plenty of wisdom to impart on his younger acquaintance.
“He will learn from his defeat in the semi final as he was leading so well. He is training really hard and I really wanted him to win so I could play him in the final.”
“He must learn from the defeat and never think about winning too far in advance. Take it one point at a time and take his time on his serve. He needs to focus, focus, focus, because it’s never finished”, says Rémi
Louis has returned to Tahiti to continue training with his team, with intentions on returning to the Continental Championships next year and competing on the international circuit once again.
