Already qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the French archery team did not shine at the Berlin world championships (a silver medal for the women’s team). The French champion Jean-Charles Valladont was eliminated in qualifying, both individually and by team. He is now focusing on the selections. The federation has announced that from August 26, the trials will begin to decide which team will represent France at the Paris Games next year.
Jean-Charles Valladont, what is your assessment of these archery world championships?
Inevitably we are not satisfied from the point of view of the men’s team because we do not come back with the objective that we had come to seek with a potential medal. In the background of the work that we are doing, the objective is to manage to create a regularity over the length. But we need to continue working on our explosiveness. I lack a bit of confidence even though I had a good start to the season. At these Worlds, we were buffeted by the wind, which meant that the confidence that I had and that we have been working for a year and a half with our new trainer Mr. Oh (Korean trainer), was put to the test with this wind. Losing in the second round of these worlds is a disappointment. It’s a long job but next week we will be in Paris and we hope to reverse the trend.
Unlike other nations, you come to Berlin without needing to collect quotas for the Games, is that less pressure?
Of course, that takes the pressure off. I have always done Olympics where we were in the race for quotas. I had times when we managed to get them, times when we didn’t. This is the first time I’ve competed in a world championship where we didn’t have that pressure because we already had them. It’s really a different apprehension, we were quite comfortable. Afterwards, we had this potential and this desire to come back medalists from these championships, like the girls. We don’t have that pressure, we won’t have it in the next competitions so we’ll use that to get good results.
There is one year left before the Olympic Games in Paris, for you, it is the year of selection of the team which will be in Paris…
A year goes by so quickly. Two steps will happen. The first at the end of August, a stage open to everyone to create a collective of six people. We are going to shoot archery and you will have to be among the top six to join the collective. Then we will start a heavy training from September until January. In January, these six archers will restart a selection, there will only be four left and of these four, only three will start at the Olympic Games. For those who will be part of the four, there will be World Cups and a European championship before the Games.
Are these selection tests a lot of pressure? Your participation in the Games depends on these few days…
Yes it’s a big pressure, but it always was. It’s been 15 years that I have been playing at the highest level, 15 years that every year I restart a selection for the France team. This is the obligatory stage of our sport. It’s a bit scary yes, because at the beginning of September or the beginning of January, everything can stop, just because of 5-6 days of selections. But that’s the beauty of our sport, anyone can beat anyone. It’s up to you to get out of the game.
Paris may be your last Olympic competition. Your last medal at the Games dates from individual silver in Rio in 2016. What are your objectives for these 2024 Olympics?
Do the best you can. I don’t like setting goals that are achievable, but not up to you. They depend on the success or failure of others. If I go to these Games in Paris, I will have no regrets and I will go with the will to do the best possible. Maybe I’ll go to the top step, I hope…
Interview by Maria Azé, in Berlin
Top Articles
2023-08-05 12:15:27
#quotas #Games #takes #pressure #admits #JeanCharles #Valladont
