2023-07-26 15:27:57
What athlete has never dreamed of winning an Olympic medal on his 24th birthday? Estelle Mossely accomplished the feat. A taste of all sports, from classical dance to swimming and skating, the native of Chennevières-sur-Marne, in the Parisian suburbs, quickly understands that her desire to hit takes over the rest. At the mention of her first – and only to date – medal, the face of the first French boxer to win gold at the Olympic Games lights up.
An uncertain final
In the final of the under 60 kg, she must face the Chinese Yin Junhua. Facing her opponent, the French misses and concedes the first two rounds. “It’s a rather special feeling, it’s a final, we’re very close to the ultimate dream, and there, my back is against the wall. » He only has two rounds left to make the difference. “In the space of a minute of recovery, seven years of work pass through my head. Somehow, this digest completely transcended me for the rest. The state in which I was in this fight, I never relived it. » During the other two rounds, the French took over her opponent of the day, under the watchful eyes of the tricolor clan. “The mind leads us to bring out everything we have in us”remembers the metamorphosed boxer.
At the end of the fourth and last round, unbearable suspense. The name of the winner depends on the decision of the sovereign jury. Neither the coaches nor the two boxers know the outcome. ” I wait. I tell myself that normally it passes because, in view of what I have accomplished, even at two rounds everywhere, I think I have taken the upper hand. » Estelle Mossely is confident. “At that moment, in my head, there is no doubt, because I went to the end of myself and whatever the result, it is positive. »
After a few moments, which will last “an eternity”, his arm rises, articulated then by the referee. She is the queen of the event. “At this moment, I tell myself that I have succeeded. » Estelle Mossely does not immediately measure the scope of her achievement. It is first a form of relief that she expresses at the time. “We understand the magnitude of the performance of becoming an Olympic champion later, in the days that follow. At the time, it’s more “phew, I did it!” » Too aware that the fight could have swung to the other side.
A story of love and medals
At the time in a relationship with the boxer Tony Yoka, who will rise two days later in the final of her category (more than 91 kg), Estelle Mossely will be torn between the desire to fully savor this title and a necessary restraint vis-à-vis -vis his spouse. “I took full advantage of my moment. The withdrawal came only the next day, she acknowledges. We plunge back into the competition because, even if boxing is an individual sport, we came as a team. » From main actress, she will transform for two days into first supporter. “I box, I win, but behind, another member of the team must fight. » Two days later, Tony Yoka also won the most beautiful charm.
Judging by the intensity with which she recounts her exploits seven years later, the stars have never really left her gaze. “I’ve had a lot of fights in my life, but I’ve never had that feeling again. It is above everything. » His dearest dream: to relive it, next year, during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. His priority.
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Sporty but not only
Along with his athletic career, Estelle Mossely is an engineer by profession.
In 2018, she published mom is writing to you, a 200-page book in which she tells her story to her son and shares with the reader all the obstacles she had to face in her career.
The same year, she was named ambassador of the campaign against discrimination launched by the Minister of Sports at the time, Laura Flessel, with footballer Antoine Griezmann and Paralympic athlete Marie-Amélie Le Fur.
In 2022, she signs a contract with Probellum for three years with the ambition of winning a professional title and gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
#gold #sight #boxer #Estelle #Mossely