Happy who, like Tino Daoudal, had a great trip. The four weeks spent by the Finisterian on the other side of the Atlantic should allow him to pass new levels. By the start of the school year, he had already headed east. In club, moving from Guichen / Bourg-des-Comptes (35) to ASPTT Strasbourg (Top 12). And for training since he joined the Team Elite 38 training academy near Isle d’Abeau (Isère), a structure co-founded by Brestois Damien Abaléa.
It was the latter, a former Les Penchots de la Rade, who offered Tino Daoudal and Malya Hoareau (16), 3rd French junior, to go on tour for four tournaments in Central and South America. “With the covid, many Asian players are currently criss-crossing European tournaments. This increases the level of these events but it slows the progress of young people like Malya and Tino, who has just arrived on the senior circuit, explains the technician. We were looking for a way to move up the world rankings faster and we found this sequence of four tournaments”.
“Dream week” in Guatemala
Destinations that may seem exotic on the bad planet but nicely endowed with points for the world ranking (BWF). And the first stopover in Guatemala exceeded their expectations. Final for Tino (N.571 worldwide in singles and N.609 in mixed), victory for Malya and success together in mixed on this Future Series (level 3 of the third world division). “A dream week, summarizes the former player of Ujap Quimper. A super stylish city, very nice and friendly people, wild landscapes and… my best results”. Three performances, no set lost until the final won by the Japanese Kikuchi. “I asked him if we could train together before the tournament and, during the draw, we saw that we could meet in the final. We had made an appointment and that’s what happened. »
And for their mixed victory, the two Postmen from Strasbourg were entitled to a Marseillaise on the podium, a disc version by… Mireille Mathieu. An unforgettable first!
Lima was not Peru
After a jump of 173 places in the BWF ranking, the student in License 1 of Staps (Sciences and techniques of physical and sports activities) arrived, motivated like a cadet, at the Peru Challenge (level 1 of D3). But his hopes came up against a Brazilian giant, Davi Silva (N.284; 2.03 m). “A good player. I’m not having a bad game (17-21, 21-12, 21-14) but, so big, he didn’t let much go. “Chance will cause him to come across him again in mixed, for an infuriating setback (19-22, 22-24) in the round of 16. “The mixed, they like, they have fun but they mainly did it to add matches. “Especially since Lima did not leave him with a great memory. ” The city ? Wow, we would have thought we were in Paris! »
Of all the colors in Mexico
Guadalajara (International Series, level 2 of the D3), on the other hand, he will not forget! Not for France-Brazil’s pilgrimage to the 86 World Cup, but for many other reasons. “He found difficult conditions there: outdoor gymnasium, a lot of wind, birds flying in the room”, lists Damien Abaléa. Add to this the fatigue of an unprecedented series of tournaments and the 51st French badminton player barely avoided the poor performance in qualifying. “I played badly and the slightest thing annoyed me, whereas usually, I am rather zen. I win but without taking pleasure. Damien then told me that sometimes you had to agree to win lousy. “A lesson for the future, when it is through experience that the American Shu (N.119) will come out against him. “An ex-top 50 (N.53), who made the Games. I lead 15-11 in the first set and I then force my shots a little too much (16-21, 17-21). We debriefed the match together. He was cool, it’s good to live that too. »
If he will then console himself “with the real tacos”, he would have preferred to avoid another local specialty: “We all caught the tourista”.
Abandonment and gang warfare in El Salvador
Obviously not ideal as a preparation for the last stopover in El Salvador (International Series). “Having not eaten for four days, lost three kilos, without energy, I could not move on the pitch. “He tried but had to resolve to give up right away. However, pocketing 550 points, or around thirty places better. Their return trip not being scheduled until a few days later, they took the opportunity to do some sightseeing. But not too much either! “We had to be careful. During the tournament, there was a gang battle, gunfire near the venue and thousands of police stormed into town. There were however pretty corners, the jungle but you see especially the slums. »
A final stage that sums up the tour: “I learned a lot of bad things in four weeks. I also learned about myself. I liked ! “. Going from 571st in the world to 331st in singles and from 609th to 226th in mixed, Tino Daoudal took a big leap with “this unforgettable tour”. “I hope that soon he will no longer need to ‘run’ like this to play the main draws in the Challenge events”, concludes Damien Abaléa. In January, he will go to Estonia, before taking the road to… Cesson-Sévigné in February, for the French championships. “For once it’s not far from home,” rejoices the traveling badminton player.
Follow Tino Daoudal on Instagram
:format(url)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/lescoopsdelinformation/65L43X5HTJGHVB2G5QYI5GX5EA.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1)
