CAROLINE PÉRON
On July 30, at the Arena Champ-de-Mars, judoka Clarisse Agbégnénou will put her Olympic title back on the line. Three years after her coronation in Tokyo, two years after giving birth to her daughter, Athéna, she steps forward as the big favorite to succeed her in the under 63 kilos, a category she has dominated for more than a decade. Until then, the thirty-year-old will try to score a seventh world crown in Abu Dhabi (May 19 to 24), for her last full-scale test before competing in her third and final Games.
Read also | Clarisse Agbégnénou, judo champion: “The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will for sure be my last”
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You won your 7th Grand Slam in Paris in February, in a lively atmosphere. This summer, you will discover the “at home” effect for the Olympic Games…
At Bercy, I was entitled to a standing ovation every time I entered the carpet. The cries of the audience transported me, gave me energy. When it was complicated in the goldens score [« les prolongations du combat »], I said to myself: “You can’t break down in front of all these people who have come to support you. »
During the Games, it will be very beautiful. Everyone who was able to get a seat will be a real fan. The previous edition, in Tokyo [disputée en 2021 à huis clos en raison de la crise sanitaire], we were alone. Fortunately we had our teammates who spoke up for us.
Over the years and your return from maternity leave, your judo has been forced to evolve. You are less expeditious, more patient. Tell us…
We have to make do with the weapons of the moment. At the European Championships [en novembre 2023, à Montpellier], I had nothing. I tried, but I was too tired [elle a été éliminée au repêchage]. Since then, I have been able to work on my strength, my quickness, my speed. Of course, some opponents try to block my judo, and it becomes more complicated for me to find solutions. To do this, I have to stay focused. Yoga helps me. I worked on the combat phases which take place on the ground and with my physical trainer to maintain strength and muscular endurance. I also add speed to the movement. All this will be further improved.
CAROLINE PÉRON
In an interview published in The world in February, the Japanese Shohei Ono told us his admiration for Teddy Riner and you. In his eyes, you embody a European judo who wins in a more physical style than his own, which he considers more technical. What do you think ?
There are judokas who are more technical, others more physical. That’s what I love about this sport. That’s why I’m happy to have this culture and these values. It’s not the physically strongest who wins every time. Everyone has their chances. You train on your abilities, on your strong point. Ono says he is very technical, but he also has strength and mentality. We have a better physical level, but we also have the necessary technique to bring down. It’s all about combinations.
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2024-04-18 06:00:28
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