For the first time, Julien Carraggi won the title of Belgian senior champion, at the age of 21. This title, he had narrowly missed in 2018.
“It was around the age of 8 that I said to myself that I wanted to practice badminton at a high level. I started to train harder and more often ”. And courage, Julien certainly does not lack. Today, the badmaker juggles between badminton and his business management lessons. He trains twice a day, at least 4 to 5 hours of training per day, not counting warm-ups and stretching. Often it is even Monday through Sunday.
It was around the age of 14 that he tasted high level, when he won his first finals in international tournaments. A year later, he made a decisive choice for his career as a badiste. He joined a topsport school, located near Antwerp, in order to be able to reconcile his passion for badminton and his studies. Today he lives in Artselaar, near Antwerp, 5 days a week, as the national center, where he trains, is only a few kilometers away.
With the title of Belgian champion in his pocket, Julien dreams of being selected for the next Olympic Games, in Paris in 2024, and of appearing in the world top one day.
■ A report by Laura Vandormael, Manon Ughi and Raphaël Sossa
