Chloé Trespeuch: "This season, I have a double revenge to take"

Chloe, how are you feeling as you approach this Olympic season?

Pretty good.

Quite revenge vis-à-vis last season which had been too irregular in my eyes.

I have made podiums, but also real poor performances and I am keen to seek this consistency after which I have been racing for a number of years.

I changed my physical preparation a bit.

I discovered lots of new sports that allowed me to really find motivation and intensity in training.

I did half marathon, trail, mountaineering ... I realize that I love new challenges, it motivates me even more and I added more throughout the summer to keep this intensity that we tend to lose when a certain routine sets in.

To discover

• The results of the 2020 Olympics

• The Olympic medal table

You were talking about revenge.

This should be the watchword of your season since the Beijing games could be seen as a revenge for those in Pyeongchang, where you failed in the final in 5th place…

Completely.

I have a double revenge to take, whether it is compared to last season or those Games in Pyeongchang where I fell so close to the goal.

My goal will be to find my feelings, my fighting spirit, and suddenly to be less invaded by doubt as was the case last season.

I must rediscover this pleasure of competing at 100%.

And I think I'm on the right track on that side.

It is surprising to hear you speak of doubt when you were vice-world champion (2017) and Olympic bronze medalist (2014). We could expect an athlete sure of herself with such a record ...

I have doubts almost all the time since the start of my career. Except at the time of departure where there is no longer any doubt. It was at that precise moment that I found my character as a go-getter. But for the rest, yes, the doubt is still there. I see it more in a positive way because it allows me to question myself, to improve myself, to change certain things in training so that it suits me better… So I believe that doubt is essential in a career. But from the moment I am in the starting gate or that I am in the middle of the race, there must no longer be the slightest doubt in my head. If I make a decision, I must do it with absolute conviction. But last yearmy problem was that the doubt was also there during my practice and it made me lose my go-getter soul.

I work a lot on reactivity, my reaction time at the start to succeed in making the right decision as quickly as possible whatever happens in front

Chloe Trespeuch

You also evoke this regularity after which you will run.

But in your discipline, subject to so many uncertainties, is it really possible to be regular?

Yes, it is certain that I cannot control what my opponents will do in the race, in particular their mistakes which can have a direct impact on my race.

Now, if I manage to start in front, I greatly minimize this part of the risk.

Which explains why I work a lot on reactivity, my reaction time at the start to succeed in making the right decision as quickly as possible whatever happens in front.

It allows me to stay focused.

I think this consistency is not inaccessible in snowboardcross.

Pierre Vaultier (double Olympic champion in 2014 and 2018) demonstrated it in the men.

I'll try to get as close to it as possible.

Chloe Trespeuch Panoramic

Concerning these Games in Beijing, do you have any particular fears regarding the health context?

No not necessarily. Obviously, I am frustrated that there are no foreign spectators, therefore French. I couldn't feel the energy of my family in the stands. But I will do as usual for two years, I will adapt (smile). I will be even more in my bubble, even more focus on performance. We must accept the constraints related to Covid, especially since everyone is experiencing them. There is no reason that we should be an exception.

Have you asked the athletes who have lived Tokyo how they felt?

Yes, I spoke a lot with Laura Tarantola who was a silver medalist in rowing because we are both SNCF athletes. I wanted to know how she had experienced her Games, the health context, the constraints… I also wanted to ask her how she had managed to put herself in her bubble despite the pressure increased tenfold by the postponement of a year. In addition, we have the same mental trainer, which brings us closer. The absence of the public and how to deal with it also interested me. She told me that it allowed her to be a little less distracted or to want to enjoy something else. I think that's the way to take it, like a bad thing for a good. There is something positive to be learned from every situation.