Start of the race on August 20, 2022. Formal podium… May 13, 2023. Welcome to one of the longest and winding 25 km in open water in history! Saturday, on the sidelines of a European Cup stage in Piombino (Italy), Caroline Jouisse, 28 on May 26, will be entitled to the gold medal and the Marseillaise of her title of continental champion, won at the Euros from Rome almost nine months ago. Tragicomic epilogue of an event that made waves in the swimming community.
“It will never have the same flavor, says the Habs. I don’t even know if I’m going to feel any emotions. Since then, I have largely moved on to something else. It’s totally abstract. The emotional lift, I had it last summer. »
And for good reason. On this August 20, 2022, the weather is more than upside down and the seas rough off Ostia (Italy). Weather conditions which have already forced the organizers to modify their program the previous days.
Return on a moon race
Many expected that the 25 km, the start of which is given in the afternoon, would not be completed. The hypothesis is even openly mentioned during the technical meeting where swimmers and staff are gathered before the race. ” They told us : go up to 15 km (minimum distance to cover otherwise the results cannot be approved) and then we will see »says the young woman licensed in Sarcelles and who trains in Saint-Raphaël.
“When we hear that, we tell ourselves that it has every chance of stopping sooner. So I thought you had to be at the forefront all the time and be super careful. You can see the buoys less, the trajectories are not necessarily very good, it is more difficult to distinguish where the girls are. We are very small in the water. You had to be much more careful than usual. »
And that’s how the 2016 European bronze medalist found herself in the lead ahead of Italians Barbara Pozzobon and Veronica Santoni and her compatriot Lara Grangeon after 18 km (11th lap out of 15 and 3h30 of effort)…when the organization decided to send everyone ashore without any prior information.
Except for the three swimmers – Italians – at the controls of the men’s event, who are invited to touch the finish plate prematurely when no judge was present to validate the classification. However, it had been planned to alert the competitors one lap before in the event of an interruption.
In a big nonsense, the athletes are confused by sea scooters coming to meet them. “Frankly, the conditions had not deteriorated as much as that, remembers Caroline Jouisse. There were only seven kilometers left, it wouldn’t have been crazy to make us finish. Either we put the bar directly at 15 km, or we were left to finish, but there it didn’t make too much sense. »
“In the eyes of some I almost stole it”
As the fateful threshold of 15 km has been crossed, the Frenchwoman begins to savor her victory. Before the cold shower. After more than 2h30 of palaver and procrastination, the officials decide to simply cancel the competition. No awards, no prize money. The 18 km never existed…
Of course, the matter does not end there. As a representative of swimmers at the European Federation (LEN), Caroline Jouisse is inquiring about the follow-up to be given to all this mess. “That would have been my role even if I hadn’t been directly concerned,” she says.
At the same time, competitors considering themselves cheated seized the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). And a little over three months later, on November 25, 2022, the LEN announced in a press release that it was establishing a podium after calling on an independent body to rule.
The native of Saint-Mandé learns the news by chance by being arrested on Instagram. “And there, paradoxically, all that did me more harm than good,” she admits. It was a personal accomplishment after a lot of hardships but given the way things turned out, it took away my confidence instead of bringing it to me. »
She continues: “There was a controversy on social networks saying that it was not fair. Of course I won my medal but in the eyes of some I almost stole it, I almost cheated! It’s disappointing. If everything had been done according to the rules, the results should have been validated directly. »
This delayed gold has also deprived the swimmer of possible repercussions in a discipline where money does not flow freely. “It’s been forgotten,” she breathes. A few people saw it or knew about it, that’s all. I was at least able to count on the support and moral comfort of my employer (Veolia) to whom I feel somewhat indebted for the flexible hours I benefit from to practice my sport. I don’t even know if the LEN has planned to issue a press release, but in any case, the impact will be miniscule. »
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