Did you manage to recover well after the Worlds? Teddy Riner: It took me a while because I had very little vacation, but that’s fine. The internship in Guadeloupe did me good. Holidays with the little family too. I have a little pain in my knee but it’s on the right track.
What did you learn from the World Championships? I’m happy because we did it. This gives a lot of information before the Games and suddenly we know what we have to work on: physical preparation, technique, speed… These are not things that change from usual but we have to re- focus a bit. There were a lot of positives. The mind answered present, the physical condition answered present. If there’s a downside, it’s a bit of a loss in speed and precision. But we know why, I was injured a few weeks before, so we didn’t fall from the top, we knew that.
Do you feel the weight of the years? No, I feel good and when I see what is happening in front, I am there. I answer now. Yes there are small injuries that happen before competitions, it’s boring. But we deal with it. My age is what it is. I’ve been here for a while, but I’m still here.
A few days after your victory at the Worlds, the International Federation decided to award a second gold medal to your opponent on the grounds of a refereeing error. What did you think? What the International Federation does is its problem. When the final ended, I asked if there had been a misdeal. I was told no. Initially I had trouble sleeping, I watched the game and the regulations and after I fell asleep and I slept very well. Now all the political stuff and all that bullshit, I don’t want to hear about. I know that I did the right thing and that I have nothing to reproach myself for.
Do you think you have sent a signal to the competition? Yes and no. I’m happy with this eleventh title, it’s done. But it was a way of getting information, answering questions. If it scares them, so much the better, but I stay clear in my head. We will have to stay focused, I will be at home, I will be under a lot of pressure. It’s up to me to handle it all.
Are you starting to project yourself towards the Games? Yes that’s it, I was wondering when it was going to start, well that’s it. It’s normal when you’re preparing for the Olympics to start dreaming about it, to have nightmares about it. We see ourselves losing, we see ourselves winning. We see each other in the worst situation and we reverse the situation.
Do you understand the pressure from the public? I think the public will be with me. But the main thing for now is not to pay attention to that. We prepare by telling ourselves that we are going to fight in an eastern country like that everything is against us!
Why did you decide to skip the European Championships next November in Montpellier? The only thing I miss at the European Championships is the team and I will have plenty of time to organize that between 2024 and 2028, so everything in its time. This year, it will be heading for the Games, of course also the Champions League with the club (in December, editor’s note). But we mustn’t get the wrong objective, the goal is still the Games.