It was on September 2, 2024. In Paris, Charles Noakes became a paralympic badminton champion after a course without mistakes and no lost set in the tournament. Once celebrated, took advantage of his medal and responded to dozens of solicitations, he returned to training, to the Creps of La-Chapelle-sur-Erdre, at the beginning of the year, not without difficulties.
Not easy to return to training for a Paralympic champion. The images of his title in Paris that turn in a loop, the stress of the last exchanges, the emotions that we would like to feel again …
A few days later, Charles Noakes received the Legion of Honor, another great moment: “There was Teddy Reiner, there was Léon Marchand, there was Antoine Dupont, all the big stars of the games. And there, I was next to it, a little small, I say to myself what am I doing there? It was really a beautiful party, a successful party. For me, the games of Paris, it was really the best games of all time”.
Then, Charles Noakes continues the interviews, he is invited everywhere, animates conferences … He leaves to recharge his batteries too and travel abroad. Then it is the return to training, at the beginning of 2025: “I find myself a bit like in the preparation of the Olympic Games last year. And in fact, I have a lot of flashbacks, and that’s where it’s hard to motivate yourself, to go back to training.”
The absence of strong emotions and adrenaline is felt. And in this case, it is better to be surrounded: “I have a psychological follow -up, I have a mental trainer, I have mourad, it is like a second father. And afterwards, there is also my parents who are there for me, which allow me to say that, now, you are Paralympic champion, but also a lambda human being, so you should not take the big head, you have to stay simple, you have to stay Charles Noakes, in fact”.
Sweat and regain the taste for effort. The world number 2 in the discipline knows, it will have to take the time necessary to build an after Paris 2024.
And his lifelong coach, Mourad Amrani, intends to accompany him again to the summits: “There, he has the blues, it’s been several weeks. So good, we adapt, we work on other things. Better that it happens now than before Los Angeles for example (Paralympic games in 2028, editor’s note). So if that happens there, it is that today, we have to get back to work”.
Find us on social networks or on france.tv
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
Of
au
From August 28 to September 8, 2024, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games brought together nearly 200 delegations for 11 days. 4,400 athletes with physical, visual or mental disabilities clashed during the 549 tests in 23 disciplines.
See the event page
