After the Olympic title won in Tokyo this summer, Melvyn Richardson is also aiming for gold for the next European Handball Championship, in Hungary and Slovakia. The handball player recently changed club to look to new sporting horizons. Interview.
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After your victory at the Tokyo Olympics, how are you preparing for the European Championship? Are you confident?
Yes I am really motivated. We did something crazy this summer. Now, the hardest part will be to confirm our result and that goes through this championship. We will try to go as far as possible in the competition.
Are there any teams you dread?
No, I do not fear some teams, on the other hand we expect big games. The best nations in the world play in Europe and there are also a lot of nations that are growing up sportingly. It’s going to be a tough competition, but we’re going to go there with our weapons, prepare as well as possible. We are able to do great things as a team.
Since the Olympics, you have changed clubs and even countries. How is your integration at FC Barcelona going?
Quite well, I quickly adapted to their game system and the team. I am storing as much experience as possible for my own game and I’m super happy with what I discover, I love it! I was put in the best conditions so that I adapt quickly, even if I was held back by my injury [pubalgie, sorte de tendinite, ndlr]. I hope it will continue like this in the second half of the season. For now, I am focusing mainly on my selection, I will think of Barcelona in February.
You were at the end of your contract when you left Montpellier Handball. Was it the right time for you to go abroad? Why ?
I didn’t think it was a good time to go, it just happened that the opportunity presented itself. I weighed the pros and cons, I spoke a lot with my family and my relatives. My contract with MHB was going to end, you have a club like FC Barcelona calling you, that makes you think. I want to discover new things, new competitions. I am still young in my life as a man, I have the chance to have experiences abroad, so this is the opportunity to grow as a man and to play in a big club like FC Barcelona is still something.
Your father, Jackson Richardson, was among other things bronze medalist at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. You won Olympic gold this year. Has the pupil passed the teacher?
No I couldn’t say that (laughs)! He has a lot more titles than me at the moment. It is not my goal to “overtake the master”. We like to roam around a meal compared to that, laughing.
When I was younger, after these last games in Athens (2004, note), I promised him that one day I would bring him back (Olympic gold, note) because it is the title he has never had and I did. For the story, it’s rather beautiful.
Another Reunionese, Benoît Kounkoud, was called for the preparation course which is currently taking place at the Maison du Handball de Créteil (94). The PSG handball player must remain in isolation due to a positive test for Covid-19.
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