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Challenging limits and redefining excellence: Léa Riccoboni (SKEMA 2018) Ironman World Champion
Léa Riccoboni has never done things by halves, and with good reason! A former top-level skier at Alpe d'Huez and a graduate of the PGE and International Marketing & Business Development MSc, she launched her career as a professional triathlete in late 2024 with an energy that commands admiration. Her latest competition plans? The IRONMAN 70.3 in Pucón, Chile, her adoptive country, and the one in Lima, Peru.
To quote her on LinkedIn: "As you may have noticed, I participated in the IRONMAN 70.3 Pucón with a new logo on my visor: SKEMA Business School - the new partner that will accompany me as from this year in my sporting career as a professional triathlete."
As a student at SKEMA between 2014 and 2018, Léa's academic career was marked by her openness to the world: a semester at PUC Paraná in Brazil, another on the Raleigh campus in the United States, and a gap year with Adidas in Germany and Panama. She went on to work for groups like L'Oréal, JCDecaux, GLOVO and Adidas Latin America.
"My academic and professional background is an integral part of the person and athlete I am today."
Since she started out in 2019, Léa has racked up a series of top places: an overall amateur victory at the IRONMAN Nice in 2024, third place worldwide in Kona in 2023, and several first places in Latin America (Panama, Peru, Chile, Argentina). In 2025, she is aiming for new milestones, including the IRONMAN 70.3 in Lima. This event is among the red-letter races in her calendar, alongside Aix-en-Provence, Alpe d'Huez and Marbella for the world championships next November.
"My academic and professional background is an integral part of the person and athlete I am today. All these experiences are a real help to me now, as I begin my professional triathlon career," she says.
Shared values
Based in Santiago de Chile, Léa combines her passion for sport with her marketing expertise as an independent consultant. Today, she works with various brands, endurance clubs and sports event organisers. "The values we share with SKEMA are boldness, the quest for excellence and the experience of diversity. All this is part of my professional vision in triathlon."
