Met during the national training camp in Temple-sur-Lot, Christophe Massina, head of the women’s team, talks about the fitness of his group, Olympic preparation and his experience as national coach.
What assessment do you make mid-internship?
He is very good. Certainly, we feel tired with the numerous competitions at the start of the year or the training course in Japan. The selections too, which provoke a lot of emotion within the group because although there are a lot of affinities, there is also very strong competition! But on judo production, I find the elite group very committed, very invested, including in the technical sessions.
This morning (Monday April 8, Editor’s note), it was the hardest session of the course and I saw very positive attitudes. Finally, I really like the attitude of the trainees and partners (a group of male cadets from the Toulouse and Bordeaux youth centers). They create the atmosphere, encourage, and willingly make themselves available to best prepare the French team for all the upcoming deadlines. We live in a very pleasant atmosphere.
The Olympic team is now almost officially complete.
Absolutely, even if we have to wait for the officialization of the CNOSF. It was a final difficult choice to make, between two great champions – as was the case in +78kg between Romane Dicko and Julia Tolofua –.
This now allows us to plan ahead, to be able to move forward in this Olympic preparation. Six out of seven of them were already selected for the Tokyo Olympics (in -70kg, Marie-Ève Gahié will be the starter while Margaux Pinot was the one in Japan, Editor’s note). We could therefore say that this new Olympic selection is easier to digest. But we must take into consideration an essential parameter: these will be the Olympic Games at home. A factor to which we will be very attentive because we expect something very strong from our female judokas. This is why I prefer to talk about a dream than an Olympic goal. They have the means to achieve a unique performance in French judo and to write an exceptional page in French sport.
What is your preparation program between now and the start of the Games?
We will enter final preparation at the beginning of June with a physical preparation and cohesion course. Then, we will have two judo courses: from June 13 to 20 at Insep and from July 4 to 12 at CREPS in Vichy.
Finally, it will be greening, sharpening just before entering the Olympic village. Regarding the competitions, and in particular the world championships (May 19-24 in Abu Dhabi), there will perhaps be choices made before the European championships (April 25-28 in Zagreb). In any case, the last names for the world championships will be given, whatever happens, after this continental event.
What feeling does being in charge of such a successful team inspire?
More like pride! Supporting, with my colleagues, a team that can make history makes me proud. You must try to remain as stable and balanced as possible, because that is what they will need on the day of the competition. For several months we have felt a very clear acceleration, all around the group and our sport, compared to these Olympic Games at home. Our role is precisely not to be carried away by this acceleration, to respect the framework and the tempo that we have set for ourselves… while taking useful information for possible adaptations. The roadmap is clearly laid out and, for the moment, all the lights are green.
Recently, you celebrated twenty years as national coach. What are your best memories?
The most memorable moment remains Émilie Andéol’s gold medal at the Rio Olympic Games. Not the medal itself, by the way, but the path to get there. Emilie returned to Insep in 2007, I started working with her in 2009. There were seven years of support towards Olympic gold. A rare duration in this environment. An extraordinary human and professional experience, which allowed me to learn a lot about myself.
The other very strong moment was the team victory at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
At that time, I was in the men’s team. Very early on, I told them about this incredible chance they had: to win an Olympic title. I often mentioned two examples: 2011 and the world team title in Paris, telling them that it was something else, even bigger; and the foilists, who are Olympic team champions in Tokyo while having participated as individuals.
They realized the impact this could have!
Both for Émilie and for the teams, all the emotions, all the memories accumulated over months or years mix and invade you.
What are the strengths of your management?
I am stubborn about the collective aspect (smile). We must of course find the right resources to individualize as much as possible, but collective obligations must be respected. We’re talking about the France team. Individual performances are always part of a collective perspective. This inevitably creates moments of friction, because there is ego. But a framework has been put in place from which we must not deviate. The French team is above everything. With my experience, I saw what an absence of collective could generate, but also what a stable and serene group could bring as added value to performance.
I also think I am close to the athletes. Be as human as possible, even if it is sometimes difficult in my position since I am also a coach. When we announce the choice of one to the detriment of another, a loss of confidence sometimes occurs, which must be rebuilt step by step.
It is necessary to know how to remain calm, understand the joys and more difficult moments of athletes, try to have a maximum of empathy… which we sometimes lack at the high level. Women have the particularity of knowing exactly where they each want to go, of giving themselves the means to achieve their individual ambitions and at the same time being very collective, involved in the group. This seems contradictory, paradoxical, but it is, I think, what makes one of the particularities of these female judokas.
2024-04-10 15:38:02
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