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Going to represent your country on the other side of the world necessarily puts a little pressure. Especially when you are the first in the discipline to qualify for the Paralympic Games.
But for Rodrigue Brenek and the French boccia team, the Japanese adventure begins above all with a lot of fun. “I love manga culture and more generally what relates to Japan, explains the champion from Vieux Condé. To be here is a dream come true. ” One more to hang on a world map that is starting to fill up.
From Dubai to Canada via Europe, the 25-year-old has already traveled the world through this unique sport, which has the particularity of only existing among people with disabilities.
A precocious champion
When he was only 11 years old, Rodrigue, who suffered from stable cerebral palsy, discovered boccia at the elementary school of Plaines de Mons in Valenciennes. “On Wednesdays, during leisure and handicap activities, I was introduced to this sport. I liked it right away. ”
As a simple hobby, the practice of boccia gradually takes on importance in his life and accompanies him to the boarding school of the Institute of Motor Education (IEM) LADAPT in Cambrai. “I was laid off from 12 to 20 years old.”
It was at LADAPT that he also met Samir Vanderbeken who accompanied him to Tokyo alongside Sonia Heckel, who had come from Nancy. “In doubles, there is always a replacement, who can come in at any time.”
A technical sport
A Paralympic discipline since 1984, boccia is a kind of mix between pétanque and curling. “It’s a very technical sport, details Rodrigue. A game of checking where you always have to be one step ahead. The mind is very important. ”
Comfortable in his discipline, Rodrigue quickly rose through the ranks, until he became European champion in 2013, at the age of 17, from his first participation.
Six years later, he was crowned by team with his two teammates at the European Championship in Seville. A consecration that offers the trio the ticket to the Tokyo Games.
Go get a medal
If the presence of Boccia players and staff in the French delegation which proudly marched on Tuesday, August 24 is already a victory in itself, the team is not lacking in ambition. “We’re going for a medal, with the desire to win gold!”, admits Rodrigue.
But for that it will be necessary to get rid of the English, the Honk-Kongais, the South Koreans and especially the Greeks, reigning world champions. “With confinements, we only had one championship in 2020. But we’ve been preparing for a year. We are ready and confident. ”
See you on September 2 (and August 28 individually for Samir) to do battle!
Find the portrait of Rodrigue Brenek in your August 27 edition of L’Observateur du Valenciennois.
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