Thaïs Delrieux, member of Biarritz Sauvetage Côtier, finished third in the Red Bull Ocean Rescue in Biarritz last Saturday. She returns to her podium, the difficulties of the course and plans for the next deadlines.
How does it feel to complete 3e home ?
It’s super cool because the Red Bull Ocean Rescue held at home. It was good to have all these supporters who were there. I work at Biarritz Sauvetage Côtier, in addition to being fired there. Children, even adults, were able to see what this sport represented in extreme conditions. On Saturday, there were heavy conditions (a 2.5m swell, editor’s note.). It’s a great satisfaction for me, since it’s the first time I took part in this competition.
Counting the qualifications, you have completed the course three times in 24 hours. How did you feel when you finished the event the third time?
I think that’s really a relief. It’s true that we did qualifying with tougher conditions on Friday. It was quite impressive to compete in these conditions. Saturday was with high tide. We still had good big waves, and the fact of having finished this course with these difficulties, it was an appeasement, I think.
« The hardest part was the steps, because there were a lot of them”
5,000 people attended the race. Is it satisfying?
It is satisfying in the sense that this sport is not publicized. Many people are unfamiliar with inshore rescue. So it’s true that it’s really fun and for us, as athletes, it brought us a lot of adrenaline (smile).
What was the hardest part of this track?
A week before the start, I was wondering a lot regarding the jumps. It’s true that jumping off a cliff, we still have a lot of apprehension, knowing that we’ve never done it. I practiced with my handler Fabien Brillant, who took me jumping to try to see what it felt like. Once in the course, we do not think regarding it. When you are at the platform, you have to go there right away. After I finished the race, I think the hardest part was the steps, because there were a lot of steps and a lot of running.
What will be the next deadlines?
The next events to come will be the Euro Challenge, in Ocean Racing. It’s another discipline, long-distance kayaking, which will take place, it seems to me, in Alicante. Then, in May, there are the selections for the French ocean racing kayak team and the selections for the French coastal rescue team. I train six days a week, Monday through Saturday, up to two or three times a day. My kayaking program is already established and also a program to prepare for coastal rescue. These are busy schedules since I have a job on the side but I have the opportunity, thanks to my employer, Biarritz Sauvetage Côtier, to be able to combine the two. I would also like to thank my sponsors Fenn, Watermanstore, Laboratoires de Biarritz, Bidartoptik, Tomcombhard and Adamnature for putting me in the best possible position for my competitions.