Country: France
Profession: Athlete – 400m
Career highlights:
- 2x Olympian
- 2019 European Indoor Championships Bronze Medallist (4×400 m relay)
- 2014 European Championships Bronze Medallist (4×400 m relay)
When have you felt the most challenged in the sport?
Coming back from injury. I needed to start from zero and when you’re dominant in your event or discipline it is one huge challenge to get back to the top. People also don’t like it when someone dominates for too long and when you have to rebuild something it’s very challenging. There is a lot of doubt, pain and questions. It was the people around me who helped me remain hopeful about getting back into the best shape and staying positive during that time. It helps to have the right people around you because if you’re negative mentally, it is harder to recover faster or train better.
What would we find you doing the night before a big race?
FaceTime… I FaceTime a lot, trying not to think about race.
When I’m travelling with a team, I sometimes stay longer at the dinner table and chat with my teammates. We talk about a lot of things besides the race and afterwards I head to my room to rest.
Congratulations on your MBA – it is a huge amount of work! What was one of the biggest learnings you took from doing an MBA?
Being a student was very important for me because in athletics a lot of time is spent with my coach and teammates. The other time is spent with my family. It gave me good balance; spending time with other students, keeping my mind active, completing group projects, and making memories. It is also a good feeling to receive good feedback on your work.
I think most of the time doing an MBA or being in Business School is more about giving you some methodology for you to apply. It is a matter of how you improve or apply what you’ve learnt.
It is also very important have some security for the future and investing in education is a good way of doing that.
How did becoming a father change your perspective?
Things are different now because I need to think about helping them to grow in the best conditions; having what I didn’t have when I was young, being a good example and spending quality time with them. I’ve also had to change to be better in what I do and to leave a good legacy.
What is your favourite piece in your wardrobe at the moment?
There are quite a few nice jackets that I don’t like to wear but I need to because it’s so cold. But there is this one suit that I need to pick up for an event, I would say that is my favourite at the moment.
What drive do you never get tired of doing?
The drive going back home because you’re happy when you go back home.
#voiced admin