Abu Dhabi Grand Slam (October 21-23)
How would you qualify your year 2022?
Not easy to digest. Before my hamstring injury ten days before Europe in Sofia, I had come back really well, the national staff were counting on me. I was the only one selected. It was a mark of trust. I was arrested for six weeks. Afterwards, I had two/three counter-performances. The breeders waited for the last Grand Prix for the selection at the Worlds. My competitor, Alpha Djalo, won the Zagreb GP. Inevitably, logic dictated that it was he who made them. Yes, it’s frustrating. But I didn’t do the job. If I had had a medal on the GP before… I can only blame myself.
Djalo’s defeat in the second round in Tashkent against Grigalashvili, crowned world champion, leaves the door open for the Paris Olympics, doesn’t it?
The race, I hope, is restarted. I’m going to the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam alone, then I’m going to the Perth Open in Australia, before the French championships. I should go to Japan for a month, with the Tokyo Grand Slam, then the Masters. I’m really looking forward to 2024. We saw it during the last Olympiad, some qualified in six months. There is no panic for me: there is no leadership in the category. I know that I still have potential to seek.
What is your state of mind today?
I took a heavy blow when the selections for the Worlds were announced. But, if there is a World to miss, it was this one. Afterwards, you have to rectify the situation! Next May, it has to be me! In a year, that’s a lot of time spent on the side, with my injuries. There is also an analysis to be had: why the injuries arrive before the big deadlines? Isn’t there a psychological point of view to work on? You have to ask the right questions.
