“I would like to be Olympic champion but above all, I would like to have a very good decathlon“, he confided in mid-July, in Montpellier, in full preparation for the event.
You often say that you are prone to stress just before a big deadline. Do you feel the pressure building?
A: “The more the days go by, the more I feel a certain serenity. I feel more and more in shape and the sessions are more and more pleasant. I no longer think too much about the Games in training but just to take fun Anyway, that’s only how it works. The last few weeks have been really hard, the stress was starting to kick in. But I’m getting in shape and I’m starting to enjoy my stress. I know that I can handle it, I know I have the legs. I do whatever it takes in training to be ready on D-Day. “
Q: Is the Olympic gold medal an obsession for you?
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A: “If someone is stronger than me and if I manage to maximize my potential, I will easily accept not having the gold. I train hard every day, I give my life to the decathlon. . I would like to be Olympic champion but above all, I would like to have a very good decathlon. Since 2018, this has not happened. This is what obsesses me: to pass the 10 events, as I had done at the Décastar in Talence (during his world record in 2018, editor’s note). It’s practically impossible but I would like to approach it. “
Q: You have two failures in major decathlon competitions (Euro-2018, Worlds-2019). Is it running through your head?
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A: “From an external point of view, we see them as failures but I have always managed to bounce back in stride. In 2018, I beat the world record a month after the Euro and I consider the Worlds Doha as an apprenticeship. I never stay on my failures. I’ve learned a lot lately. That’s why I’m more serene than usual because technically everything is getting very, very clean. specialists and that allows me to have more confidence and less fear of zero. “
Q: The competition is likely to be more exacerbated this year with in particular the Canadian Damian Warner, author of the 5th total in history (8995 points) at the end of May. Does that put extra pressure on you?
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A: “It makes you want a little more. When you are all alone and you are the big favorite, you only think about one thing: not to do zero. When there are people around you and you know that you are going to have to fight against them, you forget the fear and you only think of one thing: to surpass yourself. I much prefer this apprehension. Adversity, I will use it to be better. But I don’t fight him. I’ll have to fight myself to be technically good. “
Q: The France team is approaching these Olympics in the most complete unknown and you are one of the few sure values of the Blues. Do you feel the weight of the responsibilities?
A: “I don’t think about it. When you start to think about what is at stake, the pressure really rises and you have a hard time controlling it. I know people expect a lot from me. I set goals for myself and It’s only these that put the pressure on me. When you come to big deadlines with enormous external expectations, it’s very difficult to have fun. “
Q: Do you think you can improve your world record?
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A: “It’s in the back of my mind, it’s an option. But it’s more of a dream than anything else. If it comes true, it would be incredible. The decathlon is like a two-day trip, with so many ups and downs that every time it’s a new story, which you weren’t expecting at all. I’m just trying to put everything in place to have the best decathlon possible. a lot of events so, in absolute terms, it’s possible to beat my world record but from there to do it, it’s something else. “
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