Dawson Herlemann - France's Junior Precision Shooting Prodigy | Player Profile

Dawson Herlemann - Quick Facts

A Teenager Already Beating Senior Internationals

Dawson Herlemann is the French junior petanque player who has spent 2025 and 2026 being described in the French petanque press as the sport's most promising rising talent - and backed it up by winning Mixed Precision Shooting gold with Kimberley Bousch at the 2026 FIPJP World Youth Championship in Santa Susanna, Spain. The pair beat Monaco 29-22 in the quarter-final and Belgium 19-15 in the semi-final before defeating Thailand 28-10 in the final on 1 August 2026. He is licensed with Joyeuse Pétanque Rumillienne in Rumilly, Haute-Savoie, part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. According to France 3 Corse ViaStella, he was born in 2010 in Vitrolles and took up petanque at the age of 8.

Winning Titles Against Adults

What has set Herlemann apart from most junior players is his results in senior-level competition. In September 2025, at just 14 years old, he won the International d'Ajaccio triplette title in Corsica partnering senior internationals Jean-Michel Puccinelli and Nonce Murati, beating Marco Foyot and Christian Fazzino in the semi-final and winning the final 13-9 - a notable result given the tournament draws established professional-level fields. That same year he also won the Mondial La Romanaise triplette title with Romain Zimmerman and Jordan Clodic, and the Challenge Prince Héréditaire Jacques at the Monaco International, a 180-team event, playing alongside his own father, Marcel Herlemann, and teammate Riba Gimenez - beating a favored Puccinelli/Matraglia/Cognard team en route to the title. He additionally represented Thonon-les-Bains at the Trophée des Villes and reached the quarter-finals of the Europétanque des Alpes-Maritimes.

A Second Medal in Triples at the World Youth Championship

Precision shooting was not Herlemann's only event at Santa Susanna. He was also part of France's Mixed Triples squad alongside Bousch, Roxane Croquefer, and Sacha Jacquet, which reached the final after beating Madagascar's Harison Clarito Andriambelonony, Nomena Ramamonjisoa, and Avotiana Eliot Raberanto 13-11 in an 18-end semi-final - see our 2026 World Youth Championship results for the full recap. France's final against Thailand ended in a 13-0 defeat, leaving the squad with silver. In Mixed Doubles, Herlemann and Bousch were eliminated in the quarter-final, losing 13-9 to Thailand after narrowing the gap in the closing ends. Speaking to France 3 Corse ViaStella after his Ajaccio win in September 2025, Herlemann said: "I dream of being European champion and world champion" ("Je rêve d'être champion d'Europe et champion du monde").

European Youth Silver in Precision Shooting

In October 2026, at the European Youth Championships in Loutraki, Greece, Herlemann topped the individual precision shooting qualification with 59 points, two short of the European junior record. He beat Belgium in the quarter-final and Spain 43-34 in the semi-final, then lost the final 47-58 to Italy's Nicolò Dagati after leading 27-26 after the second workshop, taking the silver medal.

A Deep Junior Trophy Case

Beyond the senior-level wins, Herlemann has also cleared out the junior ranks he is still eligible for. In 2025 he won the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional junior triplette title with Jason Giraud and Dylan Dubois, then the French junior triplette championship a few weeks later. Earlier, in 2021, he won the Mondial des Jeunes with Tylan Kapfer and Mika Gérardot. He also won a National Youth event in Sète alongside Pierre Metreau and Sacha Jacquet - the same Jacquet who later joined him on France's World Youth Championship triples squad.

Playing Style

Herlemann's results across both junior and senior competition point to a shooter's game centered on precision under pressure - his signature win came in a shooting event, and his ability to partner senior internationals like Puccinelli at 14 speaks to a level of composure unusual for his age. His triples results, both with junior teammates and at the World Youth Championship, show he is a capable all-around player rather than a pure specialist.

Achievements and Honors

• World champion, U18 Mixed Precision Shooting (Santa Susanna, Spain, 2026), with Kimberley Bousch
• Silver medalist, U18 Mixed Triples (Santa Susanna, Spain, 2026)
• Silver medalist, individual Precision Shooting, European Youth Championships (Loutraki, Greece, 2026)
• Winner, International d'Ajaccio triplette (2025), with Jean-Michel Puccinelli and Nonce Murati
• Winner, Mondial La Romanaise triplette (2025), with Romain Zimmerman and Jordan Clodic
• Winner, Challenge Prince Héréditaire Jacques, Monaco International (2025), with Marcel Herlemann and Riba Gimenez
• French junior triplette champion (2025)
• Champion, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes junior triplette (2025), with Jason Giraud and Dylan Dubois
• Winner, Mondial des Jeunes (2021), with Tylan Kapfer and Mika Gérardot

Legacy

Still only a teenager, Dawson Herlemann has already done something few junior players manage: win outright against adult, senior-level fields rather than just compete respectably in them. Paired with a World Youth Championship gold medal in precision shooting alongside Kimberley Bousch, that record has made him one of the most closely watched names in French petanque's next generation, with French media already speculating about a future senior breakthrough on the professional circuit.