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: How did you first approach the sport ?
Quentin Antognelli : Having friends who were already attending the club helped me get closer to this sport . The desire to practice a sport both solo or in a team is intriguing for me . Finding yourself in the middle of a lake in winter where you hear only the sound of the skiff on the calm water is truly fulfilling . At the same time , when you are rowing in four or eight you can really feel the sense of a team where each brings something to the other for the best result . For these reasons I think it is a truly unique sport .
Charlotte Afriat : Originally , my mother tried in every way to dissuade me from doing athletics because she didn ’ t want to affect my decisions . So , before I got to athletics , I tried many different types of sports . Of course , when she told me about this sporting experience I dreamed of being able myself to experience those strong emotions one day . My mother is still a very good example to follow . She has been through all this before me . She is therefore the only one who can really understand what I feel when I enter the running track in an international championship .
Cédric Bessi : When I was a child , I started considering judo as the best ‘ place ’ to find myself . At that time , I felt the need to let off some steam since I had a lot of energy to expend . I couldn ’ t wait to train after school . So , judo allowed me to find a fair balance and express myself freely through its educational , amusing as well as ethical essence to support body and soul . My coach , Marcel Pietri , in fact , was very clever in making me approach this sport in a playful way . Moreover , I was completely fascinated by striking memories of my father competing at international level .
Claudia Verdino : Well , it was quite by chance . My father taught me to swim to allow me to survive any risk in the water since we had a boat and we were used to sailing . I immediately felt at ease in water , and it is still so . In particular , I really enjoy doing my best while training . Passing the Medical Public Contest one year before the Olympics was a lucky coincidence . In fact , it was a tough test with only 160 places available out of 1500 registered . That pushed me to study up to ten hours per day . I had then less time to train , therefore , that is 5 / 6 times per week instead of 9 / 10 times . I knew that I was missing the necessary workout to ‘ hold ’ good enough form for the 200m back-stroke or the ‘ 4nages ’ ( butterfly , backstroke , breaststroke , free swimming ). Thus , I decided to focus on the 50m / 100m breaststroke ‘ just to try ’ in view of future challenges . I succeeded very well and I later qualified for the French Elite Swimming
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Championship , valid for access to the Olympic Games .
: What do you appreciate most about this sport ?
Charlotte Afriat : Despite being still junior in athletic races I have full awareness that I must run for myself , every time . I always say to myself : “ The greatest opponent is myself . If I can only just reach a record !”. At the same time , it is so amazing to share the same feelings at the same time with all other athletes when you are in the stadium .
Quentin Antognelli : To succeed well in this sport you need a lot of strength and endurance . A rowing race is a bit like lifting on your shoulders a potato sack of 50 kilos , trying to hold out for seven minutes . It is therefore not for all and it presents a quite intense challenge . Nevertheless , rowing is deeply inspired by Olympic values like mutual respect and comradeship even among opposing teams . I have never heard of complaints or quarrels between us . This is another side of this sport that I love very much .
Xiaoxin Yang : Primarily , it takes much motivation as anything in life . You must be convinced right to the very end , accepting the risk of getting hurt while competing . Moreover , you have to be very focused mentally . To achieve all this , you must prepare yourself day after day . You need to reflect much , to analyse matches in every detail and put yourself in others ’ shoes .
: The Tokyo Olympics were held without the public audience and you did not have the chance to support your colleagues and being supported by the audience . Did you miss it ?
Cédric Bessi : Especially during the Opening Ceremony . Being there was magical for me and all the other athletes , but the cheering from the grandstands was missed a lot despite the presence of the authorities , some staff and journalists . It was like an unfinished feeling ; however , it helped to give us maximum visibility . A huge satisfaction after all the commitment of previous years . Personally , I was used to competing behind closed doors since all major recent challenges I attended were already so .
Charlotte Afriat : I really missed not having the stadium full of fans . That would have made things even more exciting but without these measures the Olympics would not have taken place . And it would have been even worse . Anyway , I was thrilled to be there , and PCR tests and masks didn ’ t bother me . Of course , the pandemic influenced me at the beginning since I got the virus in spring 2020
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but luckily it was the milder form and pushed me to stop for about ten days , only .
Quentin Antognelli : Not particularly since rowing involves having the audience at a distance unlike many collective sports . We , athletes , are always focused on the sport test itself and we do not notice much the presence of supporters . The main mission is always to ‘ survive ’ the challenge . Of course , at the opening ceremony , perhaps , we wouldn ’ t have felt so small compared to the size of the stadium if we had had the grandstands full of spectators . It was still a hugely emotional experience .
: Did you appreciate the attendance of the Sovereign Prince at the Tokyo Olympic Games ?
Théo Druenne : It was a great honour to have been encouraged by Prince Albert II of Monaco who gave us even more motivation , despite not having the chance to meet him personally during the Olympics due to strict sanitary measures .
Claudia Verdino : The fact that the Sovereign Prince was there sitting on the stands ‘ just for me ’ and the other athletes from Monaco
Cédric Bessi with Olga Taran , editor-in-chief of the Hello Monaco international magazine Седрик Бесси и главный редактор журнала Hello Monaco Ольга Таран
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