Her track record is impressive. World judo champion in the under 63 kg category at the age of 21, Clarisse Agbégnénou won two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she was six times world champion, five times European champion.
Santé magazine: You announced these Games, you are going there to win them and hang the gold around your daughter Athena’s neck. How are you preparing for them?
Clarisse Agbégnénou: With a lot of training, physical preparation and training camps to put in the effort. In the last phase, I did a few competitions, not many, to see where I was at. There were more complicated moments than others, when the results were not what I would have liked, like at the European Championships last November in Montpellier.
I didn’t feel physically present. Mentally yes, but physically no. It was a good assessment to refocus on my goals and to clear out a bit around me. Some fights made me realize that I needed a lot more energy, it was good to realize that.
SM: Premature, resuscitated at birth and then operated on for a kidney malformation, you fall into a coma as a baby. The doctors no longer believe it when you come back to life. You have, you say, a super power. Calm and conquering, how do you maintain this inner strength?
CA: It’s practice. You have to work. It removes fears and you gain confidence. I gained confidence by winning medals, so it’s something I’ve acquired over time. I also worked on it by doing a lot of yoga and meditation. I’m also more relaxed, I have a little less stress by telling myself that I’ve had it all and that my daughter is healthy. What happens to me is only a plus, I’m happy, I enjoy it with joy and in a good mood. It’s good to have that motivation. It allows you to breathe.
SM: What is your relationship with health today?
C. A. :From birth to 13 years old, I was often sick.. Since then, it’s rare. I think I built up all my immunity, that I gave everything when I was little, and I’m proud of it.
Even with my intensive training, even with injuries, I manage to get by, taking few medications. I let my body repair itself as much as possible. I trust it, I know how to listen to it and I feel it strong. It recovers quite well. Clarisse Agbégnénou, judo champion,
SM: How do you take care of yourself when you are sick?
CA: I keep it as simple as possible. I try to eat well, rest and I like to take care of myself naturally. I use essential oils. When I have a cold, I immediately take a little ravintsara, peppermint in case of headache or lemon with ginger when I need a boost. My body asks me for it, it’s our little routine.
SM: Judo is a combat sport. How do you cope with the pain?
CA: Already, when you are a young girl, you have pains in your stomach and chest that men cannot understand. I think that strengthens you. With pregnancy, childbirth, I had to get back to my best level after nine months without really doing judo and by practicing a little less sport. It was very complicated, I must admit. We do not realize that it is so hard, but we have mental strength and we are conditioned for it. The pains, the aches, we deal with them, we are used to it.
SM: On the nutritional level, you have been supported by a nutritionist for a long time.
CA: Yes, and with breastfeeding, I have put even more emphasis on what I eat, healthy and seasonal productsin order to have enough nutrients so that my diet can feed my daughter in addition to feeding me.
SM: Breastfeeding your daughter is important. You have defended this right within the judo federations and the French National Olympic Committee.
CA: It’s very important. It’s my special time with my daughter. I don’t know when we’re going to stop. For now, everything is going well. Physically, we were able to manage it and we continue to work on it so that I can train hard and feed my daughter.
SM: Did you feel any pressure related to these choices?
CA: It depends on the moment. There are cooler ones, where we forget a little because now that my daughter has grown up, she is no longer there during training. During training sessions, we see me breastfeeding a little more, and during competition times, even more. But I understand that coaches can wonder.
It is also up to me to take stock and express my feelings. I thought about it a lot in the weeks following my defeat at the European Championships and I don’t think that my breastfeeding was the cause. My mental well-being is more important than my physical well-being. Stop breastfeeding to feel better physically? If mentally, I am depressed, well, I will not give anything more! So I continue breastfeeding which does me a lot of good.
SM: What changes with age?
CA: First of all, the motivation. And after, the recovery. We recover less well, less quickly, we have to listen to ourselves more and modify our training so that everything fits together properly. My best moments, it may be strange to say this, are those that I spend with my daughter. These are special moments that I will never be able to get back. When I am with her, it is precious, I try to enjoy it to the fullest.
2024-07-26 08:27:43
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