Elodie Clouvel, during the pentathlon events at the Tokyo Olympic Games, August 6, 2021. PEDRO PARDO / AFP
Rethinking your entire sporting project nine months before the Olympic Games (July 26 to August 11, 2024), the bet may seem highly risky. Especially when we aim not to be a simple figure in Paris. For Elodie Clouvel, her Olympic salvation came through this. The silver medalist in Rio in 2016 in modern pentathlon – an event that combines fencing, swimming, horse riding, shooting and running – decided, at the beginning of October, to leave the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and performance (Insep), in Paris, and the group bringing together the cream of the discipline in France.
“I made a very courageous choice to leave the team with whom I was to train alone, because I did not feel able to fully express myself in a system that did not suit me”explains to Monde the thirty-year-old, who is preparing to set foot – briefly – again in the “champion nursery” Bois de Vincennes, on December 16 and 17, during the French modern pentathlon championships.
The “divorce” took place amicably. “When I told them, the coaches were very understanding and told me: “go ahead, go ahead, do your thing.” It reassured me a lot, the DTN [directeur technique national] and the Federation supported me in my project. » The decision was imposed on her as she took stock of her 2023 season. “The worst year of my sporting life”she sums up bluntly, despite a silver medal during the first World Cup event in Cairo, Egypt, at the beginning of March. “I didn’t even hold it because humanly, I was really in a tough situation. I burned out. »
“My body said stop”
The first symptoms began to appear in the spring. “I started to feel bad, I no longer had any inspiration”, pours out the young woman, who will celebrate her 35th birthday on January 14. She nevertheless went to Ankara, Turkey, at the end of May, to compete in the World Cup final, where she finished 11th. She then realizes that she has pulled too hard: “I could no longer concentrate on my shooting, on the riding… I was in a fog. My body said stop, I hurt everywhere. »
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One year before the Olympic Games, the idea of ending his career even crosses his mind. “ In May-June, before the European and then the world championships, I saw no way out. Everyone noticed that I was not well, without knowing how to help me. » Working with her psychologist, Meriem Salmi, helps her see things more clearly. “I always wanted to adapt to a system, whether academic or sporting, and I never succeeded. I understood that I was different, and that it was up to me to leave if it didn’t suit meshe continues. I needed a tailor-made structure to be able to fully flourish. I have this feeling of freedom on a daily basis, and of responsibility in my performance, I am the conductor. »
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