Andy Barat

Andy Barat (born 29 November 1997^[1]) is a Comorian canoeist. He qualified to represent Comoros at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Andy Barat

Personal information
Born	(1997-11-29) 29 November 1997 (age 26)
Sport
Country	Comoros
Sport	Canoeing
Event	K1, Kayak cross[1]

Biography

Barat was born in 1997^[2] and spent his early years in Mutsamudu, a city in the Comoros, before later moving to France.^[3] His father is from Anjouan while his mother is French.^[4] He played multiple sports growing up, including football, judo and BMX biking.^[5] When he was approximately 13, he was introduced to kayak slalom by his cousin, a member of the club CKClisson in Loire-Atlantique.^[5] In France, Barat attended the Raphaël-Elizé school in Sablé-sur-Sarthe.^[5] He competed at canoeing competitions in France and won the silver medal at the French Slalom Cup in 2022.^[6] He also served four years in the French Army, being a member of the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment through 2023.^[5]

Having served for France, his mother's country, Barat decided that he wanted to represent his father's country and "make the Comorian colours shine."^[5] He began competing in international canoeing events under the Comorian flag in 2023.^[5] He participated at several events that year, including in Slovenia, Spain, France, Britain and Germany.^[3] Among the 2023 events he participated in were the Canoe World Cup and the World Championships.^[3][7] He competed at the World Cup and World Championships again in 2024 and also won the silver medal at the 2024 African championships.^[4][8]

Barat is regarded as the best canoeist for the Comoros, a sport that has been described as "new ... if not non-existent" in the country.^[8] He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and is the country's first-ever Olympic canoeist.^[5][9] He continues his training at the Clisson Canoe Kayak Club, where he is highly valued by the young members who support him daily and sometimes train alongside him.

References

1. "Barat Andy". olympics.com.
2. "Andy Barat". Fédération française de canoë (in French).
3. Imtiyaz (4 July 2024). "Jeux Olympiques: Un kayakiste comorien aux JO de Paris 2024" [Olympic Games: A Comorian kayaker at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games]. La Gazette des Comores (in French).
4. "JO 2024 : «Représenter mon pays, les Comores, est une évidence" [Olympic Games 2024: "Representing my country, the Comoros, is obvious"]. Habariza Comores (in French). 26 June 2024.
5. Banc, Frédéric (4 July 2024). "Comores – Une première: un kayakiste aux Jeux olympiques" [Comoros – A first: a kayaker at the Olympic Games]. Le Quotidien de La Réunion (in French).
6. "Canoë-kayak. Coupe de France de slalom N3: Andy Barat, en tête de bout en bout" [Canoe Kayak. French Slalom Cup N3: Andy Barat, in the lead from start to finish]. Ouest-France (in French). 17 April 2022 – via archive.today.
7. "Andy Barat, le kayakiste comorien qui rêve des JO 2024" [Andy Barat, the Comorian kayaker who dreams of the 2024 Olympics]. Comores Magazine (in French). 27 June 2024.
8. Imtiyaz (22 February 2024). "CANOË Andy Barat, le précurseur du Canoë aux Comores" [Canoe: Andy Barat, the precursor of Canoeing in the Comoros]. La Gazette des Comores (in French).
9. "Andy Barat : De Clisson aux Jeus Olympiques, le parcours d'un Kayakiste Comorien" [Andy Barat: From Clisson to the Olympic Games, the journey of a Comorian kayaker]. Comores-Infos.net (in French). 27 June 2024.