Triple silver medalist at the European Championships, Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo with Les Bleues, winner of the Euroleague with Kursk and the Eurocup with Bourges, double champion of France – and MVP in 2019 – and even medalist in silver at the 3×3 World Cup in 2012… Héléna Ciak has one of the finest records in French basketball. At 32, the tallest player on the French team by height (1.97m) dreams of continuing until her body no longer responds, and why not until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. ASVEL player is the guest of our “half-time with” section.
During the summer, the editorial staff of Basket Europe invites you to read a selection of some of our premium articles. To read them, but also discover more than 2,000 other quality content (season guide, salary file, interviews, analyses, series and files), subscribe!
QT1 – In the rearview mirror: “An Olympic medal is so hard to get. Just talking about it, the emotions rise”
The person without whom you would not have made a career?
“Instantly, I think of François Gomez. He was my coach when I turned pro. He’s a pretty tough coach, pretty cash. When I started, I took a lot, clearly (laughs). He was often behind me, pushing me. Sometimes I felt like giving up because it was really intense. But I continued, and I understood that he was doing this because he believed in me. And, in the end, it gave me confidence. Also, I could not answer this question without quoting my agent Jérémy (Editor’s note: Medjana, from Comsport). He has always been there. We’ve been working together for 10 years. Frankly, I have blind faith in him, we have a very good relationship and I have always followed. Without him, I would not have had all these opportunities in my career. »
Which coach influenced you the most?
“Apart from François, Lucas Mondelo marked me when I was in Russia (Editor’s note: at Dynamo Kursk between 2016 and 2018). Tactically, it’s a…
Which payment method do you want to use?
Photo: Helena Ciak (FIBA)