“How is your weakened left shoulder?” And what about your participation in the French Championships, this Saturday in Caen, in -73 kg, which the national staff had checked as the first test since your return after eight years of absence?
Not very well. I’m going to be forfeited. I have a ruptured tendon. It came gradually. A progressive pain that led to the fact that I could no longer lift my arm, night and day. There was no longer any possibility of training. At a very strong ignition point. I don’t know on what precise movement this was done.
It’s on my bad shoulder, the one I had surgery on, before I stopped (in 2015). I had a major operation at the time, I had done the rehabilitation correctly and when I returned I had competed again and stopped afterwards. Since then, I haven’t done anything specific on it. My priority today is care, that it recovers as well as possible and as quickly as possible.
Compared to your Paris 2024 challenge, is it worn out?
No. For me, it doesn’t change anything. Even if I am quite aware that the French Championships were the start of something concrete, it started from there. I am aware of that. But I haven’t decided to stop this project. Just treat myself and see how the rest goes. Even if I am aware that this is a big obstacle to this project, it was already complicated. The category makes us say that everything is possible.
Even if these French Championships, in addition to being a first passing point set by the national staff, are qualifiers for the Grand Slam in Paris (February 2-4, 2024)…
Of course. Obviously, I analyzed all of this. There, it involves rest.
“My body has sounded a little alarm signal, you have to listen to it”
Is this physical concern caused by the fact that your body is no longer used to these efforts after eight years of stopping?
We put everything in place for my recovery, we didn’t miss any steps, we were careful. I was followed. I tried to be as careful as possible. But at some point you have to take action. You have to practice, there is no secret. My body has sounded a little alarm signal, you have to listen to it. It’s not the body of a 22 year old man (he’s 34), I knew that. We did everything to prevent this from happening. It’s part of the journey.
What is frustrating is that in your -73 kg category, no leader emerges…
Absolutely.
How did you feel about your preparation tournaments, in Prague at the end of September (2 fights, 1 victory) and Malaga in mid-October (6 fights, 4 victories)?
I had pain in Malaga but I was able to play six matches, there was something interesting. Obviously, I wasn’t at my max yet. I didn’t feel overwhelmed, I had feelings that were starting to come back. I felt a little more laborious in Malaga. But it was a good omen. »
2023-11-17 13:57:38
#Ugo #Legrand #withdraws #French #Championships
