The big rooms, he knows. In Atlanta in 1996, he became Olympic kilometer champion. In Sydney in 2000, he added to his record with the keirin and team sprint titles. It is also difficult to ignore his ten world titles between 1993 and 2001.
Florian Rousseau has one of the most golden resumes in French sport. He has toured a lot on velodromes, until he lost his mind. Today, he watches the others turn. Without fixed gear or profiled helmet.
Since 1is February 2020, the Orléanais occupies the position of director of high performance at the French Athletics Federation. Pandemic requires, he has not yet been able to lead the France team in an international gathering. This will finally be the case, from Thursday to Sunday, on the occasion of the European Indoor Championship in Torun in Poland. The French team presents 26 elements, to start with Kevin Mayer, Renaud Lavillenie, Wilhem Belocian, Pierre-Ambroise Bosse or Jimmy Gressier.
Florian, can you feel the adrenaline rush, like when you were preparing to tumble through competitive velodromes?
Yes, she is still there, but in a different way. Competition remains a source of emotions, whether you are an athlete or a coach. It brings great joys, disappointments.
“I am not the only one to pilot”
On the eve of your big first at the head of the French athletics team, you don’t feel any apprehension?
No ! You know, I previously led the MOP performance optimization mission. Which led me to accompany athletics already (he was the referent at Insep). And then I am not the only one to pilot. There is a strong team around me (including Mehdi Baala, Romain Barras, Laurence Billy).
Florian Rousseau went from one track to another. Always with the same determination. © AFP archives
But has the pandemic necessarily complicated your discovery?
Let’s say she didn’t make it easy for me. The key word was to adapt, a verb that we use at all times. The confinement wasted my time. I work as a contact person, I need to see, listen, understand. It’s less obvious with distancing. Despite everything, as the major championships were canceled or postponed, I recovered time to go and see the athletes in training camps, their coaches.
What’s complicated when you come from another track where everything revolves around cranksets?
Athletics is a sport that has many distinct specialties. You have to feel them, learn them and understand them.
“We lived in the small week”
What did the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021 change?
My immediate assignment was focused on July, and I took up my post in February. So the strategy could be rethought in a different way. I would say that it has been extended to another accompaniment.
Olympics postponed, but also Euro in the open air in Paris, World Indoor in China … What is the state of mind of the troops, after all these postponements of major competitions?
We feel a certain mental fatigue, because this situation lasts. But I find that most of the athletes of the France team are strong. The fact that there were quite a few meetings this winter gave meaning to their work in training. They set goals.
On your side, we had to juggle, right?
Yes, we lived in the small week. Planned internships were canceled, it was necessary to organize others. We had to deal with strict protocols. Manage special cases. For example that of an athlete whose weight room was closed… In Torun, we will be in a strict health bubble.
“Torun is a milestone on the road to the Tokyo Games”
For this first in a personal capacity, have you set quantified objectives for the France team?
No, not encrypted. I hope for medals of course. Torun is a major stopover on the road to the Tokyo Games. This will be a first indicator. It is hard to project yourself. The Poles, for example, did not come out. But we imagine that at home they will be formidable. Me, I expect our athletes to show their ability to respond present on D-Day And display a state of mind focused on performance and the collective.
–
Florian Rousseau: “I am here to challenge everyone. »© Ouest-France / JPA
A taulier like Renaud Lavillenie has not ceased to set an example. Does he amaze you?
What amazes me is its freshness. He knows how to win, and this thirst he transmits to the youngest. This is important because we have a mixed team in Torun.
“To say to all these licensees: we will not forget you! “
How do you see your role?
I am here to optimize performance cells, challenge everyone, and offer solutions. There is the Tokyo deadline this year, but already the Paris Games in 2024.
What message would you like to send to the athletes during these four days in Poland?
I will remind them that they have the chance to practice their profession, their passion, as high level athletes. They convey an image, but no one should forget his beginnings. All of them started in clubs that are shut down today, and are in pain. Performing in Torun will be a way of saying to all these licensees: we will not forget you!
The selection of the 26 Tricolores in Torun
MEN. Golitin (60 m), Fall (60 m), Jordier (400 m), Bosse (800 m), Khatir (800 m), Robert (800 m), Denissel (1500 m), Habz (1500 m), Mischler ( 1500 m), Bedrani (3000 m), Jimmy Gressier (3000 m), Hugo Hay (3000 m), Belocian (60 m hurdles), Manga (60 m hurdles), Cormont (pole), V. Lavillenie (pole), R. Lavillenie (pole vault), Raffin (triple jump), Mayer (heptathlon).
LADIES. Ombissa-Dzangue (60 m), Zahi (60 m), Brossier (400 m), Finot (3000 m), Bapté (60 m hurdles), Samba-Mayela (60 m hurdles), Perron (pentathlon).
– .
