From motor racing circuits to Olympic pools, from ocean depths to icy tracks — the athletes who proudly represent Monaco have delivered historic performances.
Born in Monaco in 1899, Louis Chiron remains an icon of motor racing. A driver for Bugatti, Mercedes and Alfa Romeo, he won the Monaco Grand Prix in 1931, becoming the only Monegasque ever to triumph on home soil until Charles Leclerc’s victory in 2024. Between 1926 and 1932, he claimed 18 race wins driving for Bugatti — a record for his era. His longevity was remarkable: he took part in the Monaco Grand Prix as late as 1955, aged 55, setting a record still unmatched today. Chiron later served as Race Director for the Monaco Grand Prix until his passing in 1979, symbolising an era when the Principality was already establishing its place in the history of motor racing.
Almost a century later, Charles Leclerc continues this legacy. Born in 1997 and trained within the Ferrari Driver Academy, he became, in 2019, the first Monegasque to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix. In May 2024, he finally conquered his home race, converting pole position into victory at the 81st Monaco Grand Prix. “It’s a moment I will never forget. I’ve dreamt of this since I was a child,” he said emotionally, dedicating the win to his late father. For H.S.H. Prince Albert II, the achievement was nothing short of “historic”.
On 16 July 2025 in Singapore, Lisa Pou became the first Monegasque athlete to win a medal at a World Championships, earning bronze in the women’s 10 km open-water event with a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes and 57 seconds. “This medal is a turning point in my career,” said the AS Monaco Natation swimmer. A few months later, she went on to win the third leg of the LEN European Open Water Cup.
In 2023, table tennis player Xiaoxin Yang brought Monaco its first-ever medal at a major multi-sport international event, claiming silver at the European Games in Krakow. She had previously taken gold at the 2022 Mediterranean Games in Oran. “This opens the way for many young athletes from Monaco in the future,” said Yvette Lambin-Berti, President of the Monegasque Olympic Committee.
Freediver Pierre Frolla is a four-time world record holder. In 1999, he set a world record in free immersion, descending unassisted — without fins or mask — to a depth of 90 metres. In 2004, he achieved another record in variable weight diving, the discipline popularised by Luc Besson’s The Big Blue, reaching 123 metres with the help of a weighted sled and surfacing using only the strength of his arms and legs. “Breaking a record for the first time is an extraordinary feeling. You train for months — two to three sessions a day, six days a week — thinking about it every second, every minute, every metre,” recalls the diver.
Born in Monaco in 1972, Daniel Elena is the most successful co-driver in the history of the World Rally Championship (WRC). Alongside Sébastien Loeb, he won 79 rallies and nine consecutive world titles between 2004 and 2012. Deeply attached to his home event, the Rallye Monte-Carlo, he describes it as “a legendary rally — the oldest in the world, and probably the most demanding”.
In tennis, Valentin Vacherot achieved Monaco’s greatest result to date, lifting the title in Shanghai in 2025 after defeating Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final. He became the first player representing Monaco to reach this level in singles competition and to enter the ATP Top 30. His half-brother and coach, Benjamin Balleret, had previously reached the round of 16 at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2006.
For his part, Hugo Nys, a member of Monaco’s Davis Cup team, has won eight ATP doubles titles, including a Masters 1000 crown, and reached the Australian Open doubles final in 2023.
At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the duo Rudy Rinaldi and Boris Vain achieved a historic sixth-place finish in the two-man bobsleigh, Monaco’s best-ever result in the sport. Supported by the Monegasque Bobsleigh Federation, chaired by H.S.H. Prince Albert II, their success continues a proud winter sports tradition dating back to the 1980s, when Prince Albert II — then Hereditary Prince — competed in the Olympic bobsleigh events himself.
Victor Langellotti – Climbing the Ranks in Red and White
In 2025, during the Tour de Pologne, Victor Langellotti, riding for INEOS Grenadiers, became the first Monegasque cyclist to win a stage on the UCI WorldTour, the highest level of professional road cycling. He triumphed on the sixth and penultimate stage of the race, earning the leader’s yellow jersey and marking a historic milestone for Monegasque cycling. In 2022, during the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), he had already made history by wearing the King of the Mountains polka-dot jersey over several stages — becoming the first Monegasque rider ever to wear a distinctive classification jersey in a World Tour event.
In 2025, the Yacht Club of Monaco wrote a new glorious page in its history by winning the Admiral’s Cup for the first time. This was an unprecedented achievement for the Principality. Led by Vice President Pierre Casiraghi at the helm of Jolt 6, the Monegasque crew distinguished themselves in a fierce competition, particularly during the final stage, the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race, where Casiraghi and his teammates managed to win on corrected time in their category. “This victory is historic for Monaco. We are a small place, but we have proven that we can do great things,” said an emotional Pierre Casiraghi, who brought the cup back to the Principality.