Yannick, how do you manage the current situation with this confinement? Do you have the opportunity to train?
Yannick Borel: I returned to Guadeloupe. I told myself that given the situation, I would be better with my loved ones. I organized myself before to plan my training, which will be purely physical because for fencing, here or elsewhere, nothing is possible ... In Paris, the clubs and the Insep are closed. It is a total confinement, which must be respected. So I'm going to train on my side. Even if I have fencing equipment with me, like my swords, I think that my training for the next two or three weeks will be exclusively focused on the physical aspect.
When was your last official competition?
It is recent, it was a competition in Budapest on March 8th in which I finished second.
And do you know when the next will be?
No, no idea. There, I was supposed to be in Buenos Aires to play another tournament which was obviously canceled. Everything is suspended for at least a month and we don't know what's going to happen. The problem is if the crises continue to be linked. It started in China two months ago, then there was Japan, South Korea… Now the crisis is in Europe and who knows if this will not be the case on the American continent in the coming weeks. Can we really resume if one or more countries remain affected by this epidemic? I'm not a soothsayer, so I'm waiting.
"My objective remains Tokyo, until further notice and a possible message from the IOC tells me that the Games are postponed or canceled."
Is this absence of competitions very problematic in terms of the pace and the dynamics of confidence before the Games?
Yes, it is certain that there will be no dynamics. In my case, it's a shame because I had things in place and it was starting to pay off, as demonstrated by this final in Budapest. I had not been on a podium for a year and two months and this result proved to me that the work put in place after my injury was going in the right direction. It would have been nice to be able to validate it on one or two additional competitions. Now, I have experienced this in the past due to an injury. Between my title of world champion in July 2018 and my victory in Doha in early 2019, six months had passed without competition for me. I tell myself that I have already been there and that suddenly, it may be a situation that I could better manage than some. Even if it remains a sport. In any case, I would be ready.
What is your state of mind today with regard to the Tokyo Olympics? Are you optimistic or pessimistic about their outfit?
It is so vague that I cannot tell you… Personally, I continue to train as if I were going there on the scheduled dates. I haven't changed my programming, I just changed the way I prepare for events. But my goal remains Tokyo, until further notice and a possible message from the IOC tells me that the Games are postponed or canceled. There, today, I tell myself that they will be maintained, but that is more a feeling than real information. In fact, my concern is not there today but on this covid-19 on which we have very contradictory information. One day it's no worse than the flu, the next day it's a health disaster. It changes every day and we don't know which sauce we're going to be eaten at. The concern for the Games remains, but the concern for the health of my loved ones - some of whom are at risk - is much more important. The rest is just sport and if the Games are not to be held, it will be a shame but there will be more in four years.
In view of this completely truncated preparation, would it not be better to postpone it?
Normally, this is the case for all of us and in addition, I do not believe that we, athletes, have a say. There are such political and economic issues that decisions will be taken much higher, even though I know that the IOC Athletes' Commission is consulted. Now, if I am told that the Games will be held on time, I will have to be ready. And I wouldn't find any excuses. This covid-19 epidemic affects everyone and it is such a surprising and unpredictable event that it is hard to campaign for a postponement or cancellation. In addition, if there is a delay, when would it be? It would also mean changing your preparation to be ready later.
"If the priority is to maintain the sporting event, the closed door remains a solution and the Games will be visible on television."
You say that everyone is in the same situation, but is that really the case? In France or Italy, there is total confinement which is not the case in many other countries where the athletes have a priori greater freedom in their preparation….
Yes, I take a look at what's going on around via social networks with other swordsmen. In Europe, I have the feeling that we are all in the same situation, more or less. In Asia too. Afterwards, it is difficult to speculate to know who is good in his preparation and who is not. I try to stay focused on what I need to do. After Budapest and my 2nd place, I took important points that allowed me to be well placed to qualify for Tokyo and I had planned anyway to do a big physical work of six to eight weeks. So at this level, I follow my program. Simply, next to this big physical block, I also planned to do a little fencing and this will not be the case.
Previously, you said you had the feeling that the Games would be maintained. Could it be in camera?
Maybe ... You know, for us fencers, we are often behind closed doors, between us because there is not a lot of public (laughs). This will not change much for us who do not play in football stadiums in front of 30 or 40,000 people. More seriously, if the priority is to maintain the sporting event, the closed door remains a solution and the Games will be visible on television. Obviously, that would be very unfortunate. I, for example, have my family and loved ones who already have their tickets and their hotel for Tokyo and it would be sad if they were not there. But I know they will support me from a distance. Now, I've been waiting for this event for so long that I would adapt to everything. Quite simply, I could never have imagined such a situation a few months before the Games…
Does that take away the magic of living from the Games? You have already experienced those of London and Rio and it is assumed that four months before the deadline, in 2012 and 2016, your impatience and your joy must have been very different from today…
Yes it's sure. Before Rio, there had been a concern with zika but we were very far from this coronavirus. So it's true that before London and Rio, I only had my mind at the Games, fully immersed in my competitions. There, as our President said, we are at war against this virus and it is the main concern of everyone. Now, if I keep the picture, I see myself as a soldier who will have to be ready in four months if the Games are to continue. I stand on the warpath.
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