Florence Vallée

Florence Vallée was from Louveciennes, Yvelines, the daughter of an engineer-turned motor racing driver and an École des Beaux-Arts-educated artist. She was an avid sportswomen in her early years and took a particular liking to gymnastics, competing in competitions throughout Paris in the mid-1940s and reaching the pinnacle of her sporting career at the young age of 20, when she was chosen to represent France at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Out of the eight other gymnasts participating in the all-around competition, Vallée finished with the highest score, 48.80, though France would ultimately finish in 10th place with 384.65 combined points.

She later returned to Paris and became a teacher, but by 1977 had opted to change careers and pursue one in the fine arts, following after her mother. She first established a studio in Le Mesnil-le-Roi (close to her hometown of Louveciennes), then in Morbihan, Brittany where she composed works of fabric, paintings, plastics, and woodworkings, selling them at local markets. Vallée later settled in Guingamp where she married Henri Maho (1921–2008), president of l’association Breiz Santel, in August 1985, though they eventually separated.

Later known as Florence Rougié, she relocated in the mid-2010s once again, to this time to Bourdeaux, where she remained active in the fine arts scene, with her paintings being exhibited in local galleries and establishments. After the death in 2020 of Monique Yvinou, she was the last surviving member of the 1948 French gymnastics team.