Yvenel Stephan

Pierre Yvenel Augustin Stephan is a Franco-Haitian artistic gymnast born on February 16, 2000 in Verrettes, in the Artibonite Department of Haiti. Adopted by a French family at age three and a half, he grew up in France and began gymnastics at age four and a half in Tremblay. At age ten he joined the Pôle de Vélizy, and later entered the elite Pôle France d'Antibes on the French Riviera, where he continues to train to this day. He is licensed to the Vallauris club, with which he won the French Top 12 team championship in the 2022–23 season. In May 2023, Stephan made history by becoming the first male gymnast ever to represent Haiti in international competition, debuting at the Pan American Gymnastics Championship in Medellin, Colombia. Despite nursing a ruptured Achilles tendon, he competed and finished 40th. In September 2023, he became the first Haitian gymnast to participate in the FIG World Challenge Cup in Paris (Accor Arena, Bercy), finishing 11th out of 35 on horizontal bar qualifications. He competed in several FIG World Cup events in 2024 in pursuit of an Olympic spot for Paris 2024, narrowly missing the wildcard selection.nnThroughout his career Stephan has overcome at least four major injuries including a ruptured Achilles tendon, broken fingers, and a broken wrist. Beyond sport, he is a committed ambassador for gymnastics development in Haiti, recruiting other athletes of Haitian origin to compete for the nation and working to inspire a new generation of gymnasts in his homeland. He is based on the French Riviera and is active on Instagram under @pierre_haiti.