Date of birth: 27 July 1987

Julien Villion has been passionate about sport from an early age, and becoming a professional sailor quickly became a clear ambition. Drawn to the many facets of sailing – solo or crewed, offshore or inshore racing, on multihulls or monohulls – he thrives in a demanding and multidisciplinary environment, where a modern sailor must be both an athlete, a technician and a strategist, a challenge he particularly enjoys. Since 2014, he has developed strong expertise in weather analysis and routing, a field he values for its analytical and decision-making dimensions. He has taken part in major offshore campaigns such as the Route du Rhum, the Transat Jacques Vabre and The Transat, contributing to significant achievements, including the solo round-the-world record and the solo North Atlantic crossing record. 

In 2019, he began a collaboration with Justine Mettraux, later becoming performance manager on her IMOCA project. He continued his career at the highest level by joining Team Malizia’s sailing team as co-skipper and navigator in 2025, with The Ocean Race 2027 in sight. He took part in the crewed Course des Caps 2025 and is racing The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 as part of the team’s campaign, where he will be reunited with Justine Mettraux. Alongside this, he continues to pursue other projects with the Gitana and Actual Ultim teams between races.