2023-07-25 15:22:42
He says it himself, “it’s another world”. When individual sport, fencing falls into this common effort where it is only a question of being a link in the chain, and above all not the weakest, to make your team triumph. Enzo Lefort could have a unique relationship with this collective exercise. Because it is with the other Blues that he hung around his neck two Olympic medals in Rio and Tokyo. During the famous fortnight, the talent of the double world champion in individual foil title is still not rewarded in solo.
A lack ? He swears not, because he has always taken what there is to take, without thinking too much. “It’s my philosophy, he assures. And frankly, winning an Olympic team medal is incredibly intense, an absolutely magnificent moment of sharing. To experience it once is fabulous. But repeating it is exceptional. »
Don’t let the homies down
The Olympic adventure of Enzo Lefort is therefore experienced by many, and he is largely satisfied with it. And for good reason. Could he dream of a better scenario, he who found himself in 2012 at the London Games as a very young surprise guest of barely 20 years old? The Blues had sunk (no medal), had taught him, youngest of the band, a bit spared by the general trauma. In 2016, in Rio, he suddenly arrived with ambition, it’s in his temperament, but without a spirit of revenge, it’s in his nature.
And so much the better. Because individually, he leaves the entry tournament, from the first round. “I come across much stronger than me, nothing to complain about, he says. It’s fencing, you can get yourself out very quickly. But the advantage is precisely that we can bounce back as a team. Except that between the two tournaments, I fell ill. » Feverish, he refuses to stay alone in his room for the evening meal, the day before the tournament, puts on two sweaters and joins the blue table. “We really are a bunch of friends, and there’s no way I’m letting them down, he points out. I know myself. I know that the next day, with adrenaline and a Doliprane, I’ll be in on it. »
Lefort kept his word. The Blues avoid the Chinese trap, then face in the semi-finals the Italians who then dominate the discipline. “Before returning to the track, we stayed ten minutes in the call room, and our captain Erwann Le Péchoux noticed that Andrea Cassara, Italian fencing giant, was very agitated. He slips us that it is against him that we can do something. When it’s my turn to face him, I remember. I attacked him, really, and I largely won this relay. The tipping point of the game. Psychologically, we had taken over. »
Always hungry
This feat against the Italians, the Blues did not repeat it in the final against the Russians, whom they led for a long time. “But we weren’t frustrated, because we would have signed for the money without any problem. For our sport, the Games are an event that should not be missed. No title is worth an Olympic medal. We had it. »
But as Enzo Lefort is a gourmet, we had to taste this exquisite sweetness again. In Tokyo, fifth individually, he will seek gold with his teammates. “It was special, Games under Covid, without an audience, he regrets. In such a period, having a close-knit group is what makes the difference. We pulled together like never before. » An outcome that this gold? “No, because I’m always hungry. The metal doesn’t matter. The medals are not on display at my house. I will have plenty of time to contemplate them at the end of my career. » She is not for now. At 31, Enzo Lefort is now aiming for the Paris Games in 2024. And even perhaps those in Los Angeles in 2028. The fifth for him. Insatiable boy.
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The search for balance
In addition to his Olympic medals, Enzo Lefort has eight world medals, including two individual titles (in 2019 and 2022) and one for teams (in 2014), and seven Europeans, including four gold for teams (in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019).
Enzo Lefort validated a physiotherapist diploma in 2018, but he also finds his balance in the practice of photography.
In 2021, he exhibited his project “Behind the mask”, intended to praise the diversity that reigns in the French fencing teams.
His career is progressing without serious injuries, but at 31, he feels the effects of his intense and very demanding practice on his body. For Paris 2024, the champion is changing his method of preparation, limiting weight training sessions in favor of yoga.
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