Romane Cloteaux-Foucault won a bronze medal last weekend at a world competition in Hungary. The young badiste Breton came back in our columns on this great performance.
How do you feel after winning your first international senior medal?
I am obviously proud of this performance. Afterwards, we always say to ourselves that we could have done better and that I could have made it to the final, but I’m still very happy with what I did, especially since it wasn’t easy. . I was behind in most of my matches and I could very well have lost in the first qualifying round. I clearly demonstrated that I was not giving up by fighting until the end.
“As I went along, I thought it was just a bonus and my confidence increased”
Romane Cloteaux-Foucault
This medal allowed me to take 70 places in the world rankings, which is also my goal. The level was also very high in this competition. There were only girls accustomed to the finals and semi-finals. I didn’t have an easy board and it wasn’t a foregone conclusion.
Can you tell us ton journey that led you to the semi-finals?
I started the competition with two qualifying matches. I won the first while trailing in the third set. In the second game, I was behind again, but I managed to reverse the situation. This victory did me a lot of good, because I was very stressed by what was at stake at the start of the competition. I then felt liberated as I finally entered the main draw. The first objective was then fulfilled.
After for my first match in the main draw, I played a girl who on paper was much stronger than me. I assumed that I had nothing to lose. I relaxed and played my real game to win this match. Gradually, I told myself that it was only a bonus and my confidence increased. But these two additional qualifying matches were detrimental to me at the end of the competition.
“I tell myself that I am not doing all this for nothing”
Romane Cloteaux-Foucault
What did you miss to aim higher?
I was mentally and physically exhausted during my semi-final. I also made some mistakes that I didn’t do in previous matches. But clearly fatigue made the difference. I didn’t manage to say to myself: “Romane, you can still do it. “I think that if I had won the first set, the match could have been different. But it’s still really encouraging since I competed with my opponent despite the fatigue.
What are your next goals?
I’m leaving on Sunday for a month-long tour of South America. I will play in Peru, Mexico and El Salvador. Obviously, I would like to win other medals even if the level will once again be high. The matches are likely to be complicated so I am already waiting to see the playing conditions before projecting myself, but this first bronze medal, I think it freed me. I tell myself that I am not doing all this for nothing. The hard work finally pays off.
