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Angélique Spincer: "I hope the Olympic title will highlight women's handball"

2021-09-07T17:59:19.226Z


Now the only woman to train - in Plan-de-Cuques - in the French Championship, the former international tells Figaro her expectations for the new season which begins this Wednesday evening, in the wake of the Blue title in Tokyo.


Angélique, how did you experience the first Olympic title in French women's handball this summer in Tokyo?


Angelique Spincer:

With a lot of enthusiasm, joy and pride also because I tell myself that at one point, I also participated in this. Even if it is starting to date, with my generation, we have passed on certain things. When I see some Olympic champions like Coralie Lassource or Kalidiatou Niakaté, I think back to the fact that they were with me in Issy-Paris. They have grown well since then. What the France team has achieved is brilliant, and I hope it will shine a light on women's handball, while making young girls want to come and register. This double, with the men's title, should allow handball to gain further momentum and an even better place in team sports in France.

Can this Olympic title really be stronger, in terms of impact, than a world title?


Yes, especially with this double I was talking about. It is an important moment for handball, all the more so at the end of this health crisis. This can only do good for our discipline. We need to be able to ride this wave of success for our championship to grow even further and get better media coverage.

Many Olympic champions are in fact playing in the French Championship (including five of them in Brest)…


Yes, and that's a real plus. I already know that for us at Plan-de-Cuques, it will be an honor and a celebration to receive them in our room. It will be a very important event for Marseille. We don't have a big gymnasium but we will make sure to receive them as well as possible and maintain this enthusiasm. The fact that we managed to keep up last season and to evolve in front of them can attract new partners, more public… It creates a positive dynamic.

You were talking about maintenance. Is that still your goal this season, or do you have more of an appetite?


In all humility, I would say both (smile). The main objective remains the maintenance, with this desire to do better by keeping up faster than last season, which will then whet our appetite. The formula shouldn't change, with just one run, and we can afford not to be this one. Afterwards, our workforce is not large enough to hope to join the fight at the top of the table, we have to be realistic and lucid. We tried to stabilize the group, while bringing some new blood to it. We hope that this will be enough to keep things going, leaving two or three teams behind us if possible, and not just one.

When we have a meeting between coaches and I find myself the only woman, it's not easy.

Angelique Spincer

Do you feel that you have grown a lot as a coach last season?


Yes, I have gained in maturity, in experience.

Especially last season which was very special.

I landed in the Marseille suburbs, discovering a new environment, a new team, new leaders.

I had to adapt quickly, and since I'm still here, it's a good sign (smile).

This season reassured me about what I want to do, about my ability to coach.

I love what I do and want to improve further.

You are the only coach in this championship.

How do you see this “exception”?


I'm a little sad… When we have a meeting between coaches and I find myself being the only woman, it's not easy. There is always one who will say: "So guys, we move forward ... Oh no, sorry Angel ', excuse us, you are there". It would be better to be accompanied by other female colleagues but I have no doubt that it will come back, in the short or medium term. There are some who are coming back to the circuit and I hope to be able to stay there as long as possible. But to come back to your question, unfortunately I'm starting to get used to it too. I did my training as a coach at the Maison du Handball and there were only boys with me. I am therefore a little familiar with the subject. And concretely, I feel a lot of respect from the other male coaches. I myselfget along well with them and there is nothing to worry about.

In the France team, Amandine Leynaud has decided to retire internationally after Tokyo, like Siraba Dembélé. Do you see some coaching profiles among them?


It's complicated to say, because it's really another job… It is certain that girls - like Amandine or like Allison (Pineau) when she will have finished her career - will undoubtedly want to do that. But it's such a difficult decision to stop already… I have a rhythm of life which is much more dense than when I was a player where basically I ate, I trained and I played. There, I have plenty of other issues to organize, to plan. It is much more time consuming and energy intensive. But yes, I think there are some who will get started. From my generation, we see Nina Kamto who got started in the suburbs of Metz, Sophie Herbrecht on the Alsace side. I really hope I'm not alone for too long (smile).

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2021-09-07

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