Brittany Championships, this Sunday in Landivisiau
Who has never had the goal of beating their coach? For Ewen Marpeau, 18 years old and a karateka for 12 years, this objective has already been achieved. “At the Morbihan championships, we fought in the final. And it was Ewen who won,” breathes Guillaume Talbot, 40 years old and coach of the young athlete. A few days before the regional championships, this Sunday in Landivisiau, the two athletes from the Lorient Secular Patronage are already preparing to do it again.
And if a confrontation were to take place, in the final only, Ewen Marpeau does not intend to leave the victory to his coach: “We are proud when we beat him. I have the advantage in confrontations, I don’t want to let it come back.” On Guillaume Talbot’s side, in the event of defeat, feelings will be mixed. “I’m happy for him because he has talent. But when we lose, we always have a little bitterness. I stopped karate for 20 years and only got back into it four years ago. It is already a reason for satisfaction to see that I have returned to such a level. »
“We don’t relax, that’s not the spirit of sport”
So how do you prepare for a duel against your coach or your student? Together without a doubt. “We’re both going to spend the day,” explains Guillaume Talbot. But once on the tatami, “as long as the referee has not stopped the match, we are opponents,” continues his student.
At the strategy level, the coach has the advantage, he who knows the strengths and weaknesses of his student. “That doesn’t stop Ewen from surprising me and beating me. » The young karateka adds: “It pushes us to change strategy. We’re used to it anyway. In Brittany, you start to know everyone.”
Regardless of who wins, the two men will leave “without hesitation”, “that’s not the spirit of sport”, assures Guillaume. Building on the momentum of previous years, the way seems well open for the people of Lorient.
Aiko Tanaka
Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.
