2023-11-04 12:05:41
Before arriving on the Insep tatami mats, Clarisse Agbégnénou made a short detour to the Judo Institute nursery to drop off her little Athena, 16 months old. Crowned world champion in 2023, a few months after her resumption, the one who will defend her Olympic title in July, is tackling the European Championships this weekend in Montpellier.
What are you looking for at these European Championships?
CLARISSE AGBEGNÉNOU. Above all, I need to reassess myself, after a rather busy 2023 during which I did not necessarily face many Europeans. Many are very strong in my category and it’s good to take them before the Games. It’s been a long time since I played in the European Championships, so I would also like to go for a title. And then, it’s a competition at home, this will allow you to take the temperature before the Olympic Games.
Teddy Riner skipped this meeting. Don’t you feel like you’re putting yourself in danger and taking a risk?
What risk? To lose ? I don’t see it like that. And if I have to lose, I’d rather it be now than at the Olympics. If I miss it, I will analyze the reasons so that it doesn’t happen again this summer. We are 9 months away from the Olympics, I am also here to get used to it, to see how far I still have to go. Above all, I like competition and I want to fight. I don’t say to myself, I’m going to compete in Europe, I say to myself, I’m going to fight.
A year after your recovery following the birth of your daughter, have you regained all your feelings?
It’s progressing. As the weeks go by, I feel more like myself. I feel like it’s easier in training, even if I’m still suffering a little. The first ten months were so hard… I was tired, I felt like I had a different body. I had to work on the land, with this feeling of having gone back 20 years. I found myself wondering why I was doing all this. Now I can handle training sessions better and I have finally regained my muscle mass.
Have you set your program until the Olympic Games?
I haven’t blocked out all the planning yet. I have a few points of passage, such as different training courses and the Grand Slam in Paris in February. With Ludovic Delacotte, my trainer, we exchange a lot and we program according to my needs. We will see if it is appropriate to do certain competitions.
Are you saying to yourself that the Games are only nine months away or do you still have time ahead of you?
Strangely, I’m not stressed. I’m not necessarily looking forward to it, because I still need training to be 100%. The timing is perfect. 9 months gives me enough time ahead of me and at the same time this big moment that we are all waiting for is very close.
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