2023-10-05 16:27:41
Marine Boyer dreamed of a medal for her last World Championships. After bidding farewell to the French Open with a victory on the balance beam, the captain of the French team this time achieved a feat.
With her teammates (Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, Coline Devillard, Morgane Osyssek, Lorette Charpy and Djenna Laroui), she won the bronze medal in the team competition, behind the United States and Brazil. “Not used to that”, the French women even took a while to understand that they had to get on the podium… “We didn’t even hear France”, explains the 23-year-old Frenchwoman with a smile. This Thursday, she returned to this crazy evening and this performance, which the Bleues hope to repeat in less than a year at home.
You won your first world medal for your last World Championships… How do you feel the day after this performance?
MARINE BOYER. I didn’t sleep much. It was hard to realize… Last night I tossed and turned in bed, pinching myself to know if it was really real. And it’s all real! I am so proud of us, of the work we were able to do.
As captain, how did you feel about the group during this competition?
The primary objective was Olympic qualification. We got it, and we were very happy. The final was a plus and we didn’t think about the medal once. We did our job, apparatus by apparatus, without really looking at the notes, without really looking at what was happening nearby. But there were falls for others, not for us.
“I couldn’t count anymore, my legs were shaking”
When did you realize that the medal was for you?
Until the end we motivated each other, we encouraged each other. Honestly, I thought we were going to finish fourth. We went to the balance beam, China and Brazil went to the vault where the scores are generally higher. But we all looked at each other, we said we’re doing our job and we’ll see later. Morgane goes first and she places her move. In turn, I get there. Only Mélanie remains.
We gather together, we hold each other close. We encourage her as best we can and she does something crazy! The result is in, but I didn’t realize we were passing in front. I couldn’t count anymore, my legs were shaking. We had accomplished an achievement but I needed to see our result on the board to realize it.
During qualifying, we saw you very combative, but more tense. There, we saw you having a lot of fun. How do you explain it?
We were more liberated. Olympic qualification is very hard. I’ve been through two, I know how difficult it is. It’s a matter of a few tenths and we have no room for error. We fought in qualifying not to fall. There, it was really just a plus and we took it like that. We were seventh in qualifying, we weren’t expecting much. We were all there for each other. Everyone did their job as they were supposed to. The work pays off and an entire collective is rewarded.
Your ability to withstand and manage pressure at the end of a competition has sometimes been criticized. This time you finished strong on beam, one of the most difficult apparatuses. Did you want to prove things?
Above all, we do things for ourselves but it’s true that we have been criticized a lot and that, even if we didn’t want to see it, we saw it. It hurts when you train hard, six or even seven hours a day, and you’re criticized just because you struggled on the beam. I think we closed some mouths (laughs) and that still feels good! We have the medal, the rest…
“This medal can only give us energy and goodwill”
Does such a performance launch you towards Paris 2024?
We proved that we were capable of doing something. Obviously, we hope that the work pays off and that we can realize our dream. I hope we will do it and that we will finish on a high note, even if above all I want to have fun. I’m here because I love life and the gym is my passion! We’re going to work, we’re going to work again. This medal can only give us additional energy and goodwill for the future.
What will it take to do as well at the Olympics?
First of all, we’re going to enjoy the medal. I think we’ll realize all this when it’s over. There, we are still in it, some have not finished their competition (the individual competitions remain). But it’s only work that pays and that will determine whether we get on the company or not. In itself, it’s so far and close at the same time… We’re going to work, both physically and mentally, and on the difficulties. We will do everything we can to be 100% on the big day.
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