2023-07-27 16:57:12
Tears, and tears, and more tears. A tsunami of tears. Sitting on her windsurf board, Charline Picon cries ” like never. The biggest emotion of my life. My whole body shaking with jolts”remembers the champion who had just, on August 14, 2016, removed the Olympic title of her specialty.
“Back on the shore, I fell into the arms of my trainer, and we cry again together, she says. And then on the podium, later, singing The Marseillaise my hand on my heart, I didn’t want to but I’m overcome by emotion, and I burst into tears again. So many years of work and tension are released in that moment. It’s hard to describe. It’s the culmination of a long road that builds us, and which is ultimately more important than the medal. »
After a long frustration
This long path, the native of Royan did not trace it from childhood, not necessarily dreaming of the Games at a tender age. The board on which she climbed at the age of 11 as part of school sailing is first and foremost a sport-passion. But Charline Picon is a fighter, gets caught up in the competition, wins, joins the France team, and inevitably thinks of Olympus. In 2008, for Beijing, she is at the level but substitute, forced to give way to Faustine Merret, gold medalist in Athens in 2004. First frustration.
In London in 2012, this time she went to the front row, and with enormous ambition after two world podiums. Except that she only finished eighth. Second frustration. Immense. Let go ? Not the kind of lady. For Rio, she puts all the chances on her side. Get a mental trainer to learn how to manage stress. With him, a few months before the Games, she settles very personal things.
“As a result, these were not simple Olympics, she points out. But on the sporting level, I arrived with a status of favorite that I assumed completely. » The Olympic windsurfing event is a long marathon, with a series of regattas over several days to accumulate points to qualify for the “Medal Race”, the last race reserved for the best. “I took the yellow jersey straight away, but on the fourth day, it was a disaster. I collapse then, thinking all my chances lost. Horrible times. Then, I learn that I am still 4th in the standings. Everything will be decided on the final regatta. On D-Day, the wind is weak. You have to pump constantly with your arms. I am in the fight with my main opponent, Chinese. And everything is decided in the last tack. A crazy fight. On arrival, I am emptied. And everything loose. ».
depression and rebound
The acme is such that, when everything falls, it is a “great void” which sucks Charline back to France. “This depression, I did not expect it, she admits. Fortunately, other projects helped me to start again. » Becoming a mother first, and very quickly aiming for a new medal. “I find my life balance in this kind of challenge”, she summarizes. Effectively. From Tokyo, she brings back the money. “I had promised a podium to my little Lou. I am the only woman, and moreover a mother, to double the bet in this way. It’s not the same taste as gold, but a real pride all the same. »
With a particular context: a medal during Games under Covid, without loved ones around her, without real sharing of the moment. Suddenly, at 38, Charline Picon sets off again for a tour, aiming for Paris 2024 but in a new specialty, the 49er FX dinghy, in doubles with Sarah Steyaert, former Olympic athlete (5th in Beijing, 7th in Rio), who takes over the bar for the occasion. The tandem is not yet qualified. Participating would already be a victory. A podium an incredible success. “Even bronze would suit me well”, Charlie smiled. It would be nice to cry.
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A collection of catwalks
In addition to his two Olympic medals, Charline Picon has won five world podiums in windsurfing, with gold in 2014, and also has seven European podiums, including five titles between 2013 and 2021.
Besides his sporting career, Charline Picon studied physiotherapy, and opened a practice with her husband in March 2021 in La Rochelle.
The selection process for the Paris Games runs until March 2024. If it fails, it won’t necessarily be the end of Charline Picon’s Olympic adventure: “The current joke is to talk about the Los Angeles 2028 Games, she confides. I was born in 1984, the year of the previous Games in Los Angeles. And I like those kind of signs…”
#bronze #suit