The Rio 2016 Olympic medalist appears as a daring woman.
Isn’t the existence of an International Women’s Sports Day an admission of a biased view of the importance of the place of women in sports competitions?
We are making slow progress on the subject of gender equity, but I believe we are progressing favorably. If this day takes place in 2021, it is because we are trying to progress.
In modern pentathlon, there are today as many women as men licensed. I am the first female individual medalist in my sport and I am very proud of it. The girls are also very strong in judo, swimming, athletics… We are building up, taking our place. Now I hope we will be seen more in the media. Fortunately, mentalities are changing.
When did you get involved?
For quite some time. When I won my silver medal in Rio, I was proud to be a woman because at the base, my sport is very military, very masculine. From there, I wanted to show that we can do as well as the men and win medals. I do not claim to be a feminist but as someone determined.
Tell us about your daily life in training, which you share with your companion Valentin Belaud, also a candidate for an Olympic medal in Tokyo.
We each have our own specific sessions but it happens that we “challenge” ourselves in disciplines, in fencing for example. Valentin tells me that it makes him progress technically because I have a finer and more subtle game than if he “fought” with a man. In swimming, we also do the same sessions of 4 to 5 kilometers per day (she is a former swimmer of the Lucas team). I don’t compare us, but when everyone gives the best of themselves, whether it’s a man or a woman, that’s the most beautiful thing.
What bothers you the most about regular sexism?
With the Covid, what is positive is that we no longer kiss each other. We “check in”. I find it normal that women and men say hello to each other the same way. If a young girl does not want her coach to kiss her, it is better to check. Everyone’s free will must be respected.
Is your social media activism akin to activism?
I feel invested in my sport, I try to make modern pentathlon grow by sharing its values. When I get messages telling me that I am a motivator, that I help lift people to the top, it’s great. They give me strength and I give it to them too. That’s what I like about social networks, this notion of sharing, we can send beautiful messages. Life is not always easy, which is why I always post positive messages.
What are these values of pentathlon?
It is a very complete sport where you learn a lot about yourself physically, physiologically and also mentally. You have to know how to surpass yourself, never give up. We defend our country, we try to make the flag of France shine in the face of adversity, except that we are not going to the front and we are not going to die when we participate in a competition. These are the same values as an army soldier, which is why I belong to the gendarmerie (at the rank of lieutenant).
And those of the Olympic Games?
Intimately, it is a very deep childhood dream. Being an Olympic champion, I dreamed of it since I was little. Beyond that, it is a magnificent event, the biggest celebration of sport, it promotes equity and diversity.
At 32, are you thinking about your post-career?
I would like to finish it in Paris in 2024. The circle would come full circle since I started modern pentathlon in Paris. It will be my 4th Olympiad, it’s huge. Then I would like to start a family, have children, live my life as a woman. I would also love to embark on a career in cinema.
Without a net, without experience?
I did theater when I was young and took Simon’s courses. I am a fanatic, with a crush on dramatic comedies and historical films. I really like Xavier Nolan and Di Caprio, of which I am completely a fan. Finally, I am also keen to pass on my passion for my sport to young people, by bringing them my experience as a high-level athlete.
You don’t set any limits?
Exactly. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so let’s take advantage of the moment. For the moment, my eyes are fixed on the Tokyo Games.
The Olympic Games are threatened by the Covid, the place of women remains fragile, but you remain optimistic.
Yes always. I have never felt disparaged or reduced because I have never positioned myself that way. I would like the place of women to change, for that, we have to break the codes. I try to convey that, to get other women to do it. Little by little, a beautiful horizon will open up. For now, the Games are not canceled, so with Valentin, we are preparing in our heads, and not halfway. We are thoroughly (they are currently doing an internship in Réunion).
I prefer to train to the end, telling myself that I will give everything on the day of the competition. And if unfortunately the Games were canceled, I would be disappointed but I would have given the best of myself, which is the ultimate goal.
Élodie Clouvel was born on January 14, 1989 in Saint-Priest-en-Jarez (Loire). Dreaming since her childhood of an Olympic destiny, she became Olympic vice-champion in modern pentathlon at the Rio Games in 2016. She thus became the first French athlete to obtain an individual medal in modern pentathlon at the Olympic Games. At 32, Élodie Clouvel has set herself the goal of a final stretch that should take her from Tokyo to Paris in 2024, the year in which she intimately chose to “to buckle the buckle”, to try to embrace a career in film. But before that, make way for the queen disciplines of shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running. Modern pentathlon, the five fingers of the hand.
