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Cécilia Berder: "I can't wait for the lioness cage to open"

2021-07-25T16:35:50.328Z


The French sabreuse is eager to start her Games on Monday with the individual event, the first of two medal opportunities she will have, followed by the team event next Saturday.


Cécilia, how do you feel when you approach these Tokyo Games?


Cécilia Berder:

When I arrived at the Olympic Village, it was there that I realized how much I was waiting for this moment.

I felt a full thrill when I discovered it (smile).

I'm happy to be there, and also relieved somewhere.

But little by little, I am also starting to withdraw a little to concentrate well and be ready on the big day.

To discover

  • The Olympic medal table

  • LIVE - Watch the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

What goal do you have?


A very simple one: I want to play.

I know it's not very concrete in terms of numbers, but I really want to take advantage of the moment, to be on this Olympic track that I have been waiting to tread for so long.

I hope to be brave and playful here.

Are you leaving with a vengeance against Rio, where you lost in the quarter-finals?


Not especially.

I am simply curious to see how I will succeed in understanding these Games which will be those of patience, adaptation, and pleasure too.

We only have one World Cup event in a year, so we'll have to be able to free ourselves on the track.

I am quite optimistic because I think I see enough work on all these points to be able to deal with them.

I can't wait for the lioness cage to open and to see which of us will roar first (smile).

And I intend to have my say.

If the other girls had been able to organize parties among themselves and we weren't invited, I would have bothered.

Cecilia Berder

Does this year without competition that you mention make everything possible at these Games?


(Categorical) Anything is possible. At Games, even more than elsewhere where there are often surprises. There, the only difference is that it is not possible to know how our opponents worked, where they are. We don't know the current level of girls.

Is this lack of benchmarks in competition a handicap?


No, because we have all been in the same boat.

If competitions had been able to take place and we French women had not been able to go there due to confinement or other, there would have been a problem.

If the other girls could have organized parties among themselves and we weren't invited, that would have bothered me (laughs).

But here, the deal is clear: in a year and a half, we have all had only one World Cup in Budapest to put our teeth into.

Read also: The full Tokyo 2020 program

Read also: The Tokyo 2020 medal table

Does the extra year of postponement allow you to be stronger today?


A year ago, I felt really ready mentally. Now, looking back at mine today, I realize on the other hand that my body was tired. So maybe physically this extra year allows me to have a sharper body, in better shape. The different confinements sometimes forced me to reduce my training, to do a little less and therefore to rest by force of circumstances. The athlete that I am did not necessarily appreciate that, but the woman, yes, much more (smile). As for the fencing aspect, yes, maybe I am a little stronger because it means a year of progress, work and research more, which cannot be bad.

Do you place the individual and team events on the same line?


Yes, very clearly. The shared spirit of team play is very close to my heart. There is a very united side, very tactile when we win together. It is a very powerful moment. Nevertheless, fencing remains basically an individual sport and as I said, I am curious to see if my progress, what I have put in place will pay off. Have I worked and searched the right way? I will have the answers soon. But to come back to your question, for me the individual and the team are two opposing events, but which fascinate me just as much.

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2021-07-25

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