The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Tokyo Olympics: Thomas Goyard, "circles in the water", a few sweats and a beautiful silver medal

2021-07-31T11:43:14.429Z


Put in the race for having stolen the start, the Frenchman had to wait until the end of the regatta to be certain of winning the silver medal.


Sometimes a medal is played for nothing. Thomas Goyard, the first Caledonian Olympic medalist, sweated profusely. Not just because of the blazing sun hitting the small island of Enoshima, south of Tokyo. Disqualified halfway through the medal race for stealing the start, the French windsurfer watched helplessly as his competitors tried to snatch a medal. The payment is made as follows: when a false start is signaled, the offender has 4 minutes to recognize himself and retake the line. Pass this time, a judge comes to meet him to notify him of his exclusion from the race and a penalty of 22 points. “I saw that the Italian had toast the start, I said to myself,

it's good, they will call it back, I am medalist

. The Pole disappeared, I was excited… ”, says Thomas.

Because Camboni and Myszka were, before the final regatta, his two direct competitors for silver and bronze.

"And there, I see the judge approaching, I say to myself

no,

it is not possible.

Thomas Goyard, still virtually silver, must be patient and count the points.

"I am an engineer, I managed to calculate, but I admit that I counted and recounted ... 4 (like the editor's note: the place of the Chinese competitor who could steal his money) times 2 that makes 8", laughs the Frenchman, who despite everything struggles to achieve.

"Sometimes I wonder what the point of what I'm doing"

“It's completely crazy what happens to me, I find it difficult to realize what this medal implies for the future. I have this feeling that suddenly the planets are aligning, maybe I need to thank these positive things that are around me. “In competition for the place at the Olympics with Pierre Le Coq, bronze medalist in Rio, and Louis Giard, the 2018 world champion, Thomas Goyard, less capped, had created the surprise. His Olympic podium is undoubtedly another. “It's a week where some crazy stuff happened. I fell into the water twice (Editor's note: the first time in the first race) while that never happens to me… What happened to me in the medal race was something sick! "

Thomas is a dreamer, a special member of this French sailing team. “People have inspired me, in RSX or in other series, people also who do not play sports, whom I met a long time ago or more recently. People who have a way of approaching things, a certain purity. Authors too, like Pierre Botero, and his Ellana saga, it is an ode to freedom, justice and harmony with the elements ”. Here it is already launched with a view to the Games in Paris. Qualification in foiling board could be played out between him and his brother Nicolas, one of the great hopes of the discipline. “The first thing I'm going to do is eat, I have to gain 15 kg”, because the discipline is even more physically demanding. "Sometimes I wonder what the point of what I'm doing, I make circles in the water,it doesn't do much like a lot of sports. But inspiring people is the most important thing and I hope my medal will inspire people. "

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-07-31

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-08T10:15:54.837Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.