2024-04-10 05:00:02
For several years, the French sailing, shooting and canoeing teams have been able to train on the future Olympic and Paralympic sites of the Paris Games, in Vaires-sur-Marne, Châteauroux and Marseille. A significant advantage for French athletes.
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Enjoy the convenience of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games at home. For many French athletes, the future Olympic and Paralympic sites have been their training ground for several years. This is the case of the French sailing, shooting and canoeing teams, which respectively benefit from the facilities of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), Châteauroux (Indre) and Vaires-sur-Marne (Seine-et- Marne) to prepare for the Paris Games.
Jean-Baptiste Bernaz, windsurfer, laser world champion (2022) and four-time finalist at the Olympic Games, even settled in Marseille two years ago to prepare for his Olympic adventure. “I really wanted to immerse myself in the place. We have been taking charge of the lake for two years, even before the renovation. Spending time there allows you to gain a lot of knowledge and anticipation “, confides the one who wanted to put all the chances on his side to “feel no regrets in five months.” If the Marseille Marina was inaugurated on April 2, athletes have already been able to train for a year on a brand new site. “It’s truly royal, he rejoices. We have very careful preparation.”
Knowledge of the location and weather conditions
In sailing, knowledge of the places is a determining factor in performance. “Every body of water is different. And Marseille is very particular, with relief and heat in summer, analyzes Jean-Baptiste Bernaz. This causes drafts and disturbances, which can be very variable. The fact of training on the site allows us to better understand its conditions and to be able to find benchmarks.” If foreign athletes can also come and get their bearings on the site, the French team has been carrying out numerous training sessions for several years at different times, in order to cope with all climatic conditions.
The reasoning is the same for shooting. “Depending on your position in the stand, you will have conditions that are a little different, depending on the wind and the temperature, hence the interest in trying the different placements,” explains Jérémy Monnier, national coach of the Olympic rifle team.
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For athletes, the challenge is therefore the same in sailing and shooting, in other words to become familiar with the facilities and conditions characteristic of the place, such as “know the vagaries of the wind and the sea in the bay of Marseille, notes Julien Bontemps, coach of the French windsurfing team. For example, when the wind comes from the land, the sea is generally rather flat, and when we have the mistral, it causes swells.” So much data that Julien Bontemps and the coaches of the French team list in order to build a sort of dictionary of good strategies to adopt, whatever the weather conditions.
“The objective is to correctly identify the conditions, and then use our experience to take the right tacks.”
Julien Bontemps, coach of the French windsurfing teamat franceinfo: sport
This is not the first time that Jean-Baptiste Bernaz has put himself in this type of Olympic conditions. “For the 2016 Games, I went to live in Rio for a year, he says. But everything was complicated, whether it was access to the sea or to boats because you had to go through a yacht club, for a lot of money.” In Marseille, French athletes can train freely and with greater comfort. “When we go on an internship in the host country, we cannot take all our staff, because it is very expensive. Here, as we are at home, we have everything at our disposal, our entire team and our equipment. Not to mention because everything we don’t spend on travel, we put into technology and expertise.”
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The expertise can also extend to boats which are adapted to the specificities of the body of water. “Our boats are designed for sailing on a lake and for speed, therefore they have an unstable side, explains kayaker Manon Hostens, who has increased her training frequency on the Olympic site every year for three years. But the Vaires-sur-Marne site is very exposed to the wind, it is even listed for sailing. The body of water is therefore often unstable, and here we have an advantage. We can carry out tests on the boats, particularly on the height of the seat, to adapt it to the conditions, in order to maintain stability.”
The memory of movement
Knowledge of the meteorological elements of the site is not the only parameter to study. “As we have the site on a daily basis, we also acquire, from a technical point of view, the knowledge of the water movements on the white water basin or the knowledge of the calm water basin. Every millimeter of the basin will be infuse into the look of the coaches and the sensations felt by the athletes. The brain knows the place by heart, but the whole body does too, that’s the advantage.” agrees Rémi Gaspard, performance director within the French canoe-kayak federation. A plus even without knowing the route.
“We will come across movements that we will have recognized in training. We will never have done the entire course in the same way, but there will be key sequences that we will necessarily know.”
Rémi Gaspard, performance director at the French canoe-kayak federationat franceinfo: sport
Beyond the sporting framework, French athletes can also familiarize themselves with the environment surrounding the site. A detail that is important in Olympic preparation. “In summer, it is very hot in Marseille. So there are habits to adopt in terms of climate, before going on the water in terms of sun protection, hydration, nutrition”, underlines Julien Bontemps.
The importance of recharging your batteries
Another advantage according to the coach of the French windsurfing team: knowing the surroundings to know where to recharge your batteries during the Games. “On the board, our regatta lasts a week. It is therefore important to have moments where we can go and recharge our batteries, clear our minds a little and recharge our batteries,” supports the coach who will be full-time in Marseille from May until the Olympics.
“Knowledge of the place, its environment, and all the surroundings too, are energy saved for the athletes. This removes uncertainties and additional stress.”
Jérémy Monnier, national coach of the Olympic rifle teamat franceinfo: sport
More generally, the recognition of places is a gain in peace of mind for the athletes. “We have tested the site so much that it leaves less room for the unexpected. We will not be surprised by the sun dazzling us or by a side wind, for example”, estimates Manon Hostens, six times world champion in individual sprint downhill. For the kayaker, knowledge of the infrastructures is also an integral part of her mental preparation. “As the competition approaches, I like to be in the present moment. We work in mental preparation on smells, noises, so many things that help create a familiar environment around me.”
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Without forgetting the advantage of French culture and the absence of time difference. “It seems logical but the way the country works is not always so obvious when you go abroad. You always wonder how daily life works,” adds Jean-baptiste Bernaz. Finally, the windsurfer sees one last advantage: sharing with loved ones. “As we are at home, we can show our daily lives to our loved ones, who usually cannot afford to travel to the Olympics. For me, this is a huge strength.” Although the benefit of training at Olympic venues is certain for athletes, the home Games also mean pressure and expectation around them. A fair balance to be found between now and July 26.
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