Olympic bronze medallist Marc-Antoine
Olivier of France, 24, can’t be stopped. His drive and aspiration for open
water comes through as an evidence. No hesitation in his speech as he replies
to FINA’s questions. He is one of a kind.
Tallying two World titles and four
Marathon Swim World Series victories, he is determined to add many more to his
champion’s record.
After claiming gold at the first leg
of the FINA/CNSG Marathon Swim World Series 2021, in Doha (QAT) on March 13,
Olivier comes back on this first international race held in particular
conditions.
“It felt really good to compete again
because the last World Cup stage was last year in Doha, exactly a year and a
month ago,” he admits.
“The race was particularly good
because we have been met with challenging conditions such as heavy stream and
waves. It was a long time we didn’t have these type of elements for a World
Series race so I really appreciated this aspect.”
Reliving the last instants of the
race, Olivier remembers: “After the second lap, we have almost created an
escape together with Kristof Rasovsky, but it did not lead to anything more. We
were quickly joined by the others. After this, I had many plans in my head to
go and claim the victory and I managed to lead, with Gregorio Paltrinieri next
to me, during the penultimate lap with 4km to go. We were both next to each
other to create a pace and break through. In the end, Gregorio strategically
placed himself behind and I continued to lead until the finish line.”
With the pandemic and for about a
year now, athletes have seen their opportunities to test their hard work
decrease and they have missed the adrenaline and additional experience an
international event provides.
Racing next to the most experienced
open water swimmers is really enjoyable especially in an Olympic year. It
allows everyone to measure and position themselves against the other swimmers
ahead of the major milestone, the Olympic Games.
“It was important to see where we are
but we haven’t prepared this event like we would for the Olympics, obviously.
We can really see if the work we are doing throughout the year is efficient and
good despite the various restrictions to train. So this competition was a
really good way to position ourselves!”
Doha holds a special place in
Olivier’s swimming career as he values the venue and the organisation
“Doha is really great because the
race is staged in a different part of the sea each time. We don’t have to race
the same route every time and it makes it more interesting. The hosts are
really good with hospitality as well, and the organisation of the event. It is
a place I particularly like to go to and it is a pleasure to take part in this
stage of the World Cup. Water is normally above 22C° so it is lovely to swim
in.”
Asked if this first event caused more
tension and stress than usual, Olivier said:
“The first stressful situation we
have been confronted with was the travel. We were supposed to arrive in Doha on
Tuesday evening but we only arrived at 4am on Friday, just 24h before our
race.”
“The travel restrictions due to
COVID-19 were the main cause of stress. Other than that, there wasn’t so much
stress at all. It actually was a relief to be able to take part in an
international competition, finally,” he admits.
Continuing to train and progress amid
the pandemic has been a challenge for many high-level athletes, but Olivier
remains positive and realistic about all of it.
“We are now used to comply with the
COVID protocols because we have started to compete in pool events already. We
are used to wait in the room for the PCR test result and all the various safety
measures that are necessary at the moment for a secured and safe environment.”
In my opinion, it also prepares us
for the Olympic Games and the protocols we will have to follow when going to
Japan.
Recent open water history has seen
France completely overtake the discipline with an ambitious young generation
that has achieved great results at the Olympics but also at the FINA World
Championships. Olivier, an integral part of this success story, explains how
the arrival of Stephane Lecat as National Team Open Water Programme Director in
2014, changed the destiny of the nation.
“The keen interest for open water in
France arrived in 2014 with Stephane Lecat. We already had a generation that
was strong amongst the junior category but was struggling to have good results
in the elite competitions because they were lacking experience and this special
touch to reach the podium,” he concedes.
“This young generation and Stephane
Lecat’s expertise and knowledge made the success of the French team and our
first podiums were reached, for example in the 10km with Aurelie Muller and
myself at the Olympics. This collaboration has opened many doors and a better
formation and preparation among the youngsters.”
“Medals make the youth dream, so it
has naturally attracted more young people in the discipline. We always travel
with a lot of young swimmers to the World Cup so they can directly compete with
senior athletes and gain a maximum of experience. That way, when they finish to
compete with the junior they aren’t lost and they know how a race runs and can
perform well.”
“This generation paired with
Stephane’s skills made us the best nation of the world!” he finally reflects.
With the Olympics being the hot topic
at the moment, Olivier makes it clear:
My objective has always been to mark
my discipline. In order to reach this, I have to go for the Olympic gold,
simply.
In order to prepare the best, his
schedule for the next few months unfolds as follows: “International travels are
more complicated but we try to find solutions. As the Seychelles World Series
has been cancelled, we are looking at going to La Reunion or Martinique, both
French territories, and organise a competition in a warm climate with a
training camp before in April. Then we will go to a final training camp in
altitude in Sierra Nevada (ESP) at the end of June for three weeks. We will
then directly fly to Japan with two weeks in Kanazawa to get used to jet lag
and the climate and, from there, we will the go the Olympic Village.”
However, when in France, Olivier
trains with coach Philippe Lucas.
“Personally, I have been training
with Philippe Lucas for six years now. I started with him in 2015 in Narbonne
(FRA), where we stayed three years. And now we have been based in Montpellier
(FRA) for three years. We exclusively train in swimming pools, never in open
water, because Philippe wants to have a lot of time markers which is hard to
get in the sea, so we stay in the pool.”
Olivier maintains the same level of
ambition and expectations when it comes to the 2022 season, namely the FINA
World Championships.
“For Fukuoka I am also aiming for
gold and do better than what I did in Budapest where I won three medals, two
gold and one bronze. I would like to equal or better my Budapest tally.”
Marc-Antoine Olivier will next attend
the Budapest (HUN) and Setubal (POR) FINA/CNSG Marathon World Series in June.
Written by:FINA Communications
department / photo credit ©Getty Images
Michael
Phelps Teaches Swimming
Most of us
can swim, but there’s a difference between dog paddling on vacation and
swimming for fitness. If you’re looking to unlock the low-impact,
calorie-burning benefits of swimming, check out this course from Michael Phelps
on This Skills. The 26-time Olympic gold medalist will cover everything you
need to feel confidant and comfortable swimming laps. You’ll learn all the
basic strokes, plus wall kicking, diving and other techniques, but you’ll also
get a glimpse into the mindset of the most decorated Olympian of all time.
Learn more
at https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1642979&u=2746380&m=102028&urllink=&afftrack=0
No comments:
Post a Comment