Marie, we knew the champion, in this book, you reveal yourself as a woman…
“Indeed, writing this book allowed me to take a step back from what had been done during my career but also during these 30 years of life. It’s not just skiing. There are things that the public does not know, does not see. We understand better who I really am. Even if there are the medals, a high-level career is other things: ups, downs, doubts, people who accompany you, who come, who leave… Even in my close circle, people didn’t realize what I was doing. There was skiing but also all the side effects: L’Oréal which played an important role, working with my partners, traveling… I indulge as much as I discover myself. It was therapy. »
What have you learned about yourself?
“I discovered myself as an entrepreneur. An athlete is also a project manager, a business manager, we have relationships with large companies. Today, I talk to CAC40 bosses as if they were ordinary people. I developed other abilities. L’Oreal Paris taught me to know my body, to assert my femininity, my personality. There are also more personal reflections: on the evolution of Paralympic sport, around high-level organization, management, the place of the athlete, on the environment, the evolution of our winter sports through climate change…”
What has your daily life been like since your career ended?
“It’s been a very busy year in terms of sports news. There were the Paris Games, the French Alps’ candidacy for the 2030 Winter Olympics, so I cut very little. For the future, I was lucky enough to have some very interesting offers but I don’t want to rush. So the first thing I started was resuming my studies at Sciences Po, which has been in effect for a month. I needed to define myself other than by my track record. This is something I felt in Beijing where I told myself that the end of the story was getting closer. It will be a common thread that opens the door to other things that have yet to be defined. »
“It’s not a question of people but of ambitions”
Precisely, Martin Fourcade mentioned you by name to accompany him if he were president of the Organizing Committee for the 2030 Olympic Games… What about?
“His speech last week was quite moving for me. It’s a real testimony of trust even if Martin and I have been talking about this subject for several months and we have the same vision, the same ambitions and the same desire to make this file a success. We have complementary sports and personalities and we would work together with pleasure. But there has not been much progress on this subject. If Martin takes over the presidency, the subject will reopen for me too. »
The other candidate is Vincent Jay, could you work with him?
“It’s not a question of people but of ambitions. I talked a lot with Martin but I also talked with Vincent. If it’s Martin, we’ll talk about it again, if it’s Vincent we’ll talk about it again. These are two people who have to be part of the project, in what position, that’s another question. Vincent knows the subject very well also having brought it up with the Region. Should he be president? I don’t know. If you look at the timeline, all three of us have been on this since the beginning. Vincent through the institutional, Martin and I rather for the voice of the athletes. If I go there it’s with the right people. »
You tick a lot of boxes for this position of president of Cojop, have you thought about applying?
” No. I can say it. No doubt I tick a lot of boxes but it requires a lot of energy. I will lose a lot of feathers. I believe that committing to the presidency of this subject would not be respectful of this project. But I know that I will be able to be part of it with people who have the same ambitions as me…”
My little finger told me Éditions Les Passions de Bouquins, €19.90, in bookstores on November 7.
Paris-2024: “I had to pinch myself several times”
Member of the Athletes’ Commission and radio consultant, Marie Bochet experienced an intense summer full of emotions through the Paris Games. A memory still very vivid in his mind.
The final of the French volleyball team – “only sport gives such strong emotions” – the team victory of the French judokas at the Olympics – “What a scenario, it was crazy” -, the XXL performance of Alexis Henquinquant – “He impressed me. He was incredibly mature” -, the silent olas at blind football – a very powerful moment – or the tears of his friend Nantenin Keita at the Paralympics, so many sporting images which will remain forever engraved in the memory of Marie Bochet.
“A special emotion during the Paralympics”
But the skier is also satisfied with the popular and organizational success of these Paris Games. “It was incredible. At the Athletes’ Commission, we were aware of a lot of things, we had seen the ideal plans, what was desired. But seeing it come to fruition was really powerful. For example, we worked a lot on the Champions Park and it was crazy. Everything matched what was modeled. There were ambitions that were set and there was the realization of these ambitions. It was quite moving. The village was crazy too. It showed me that we are capable of giving ourselves the means to achieve our ambitions,” she relishes. Before adding: “There was a particular emotion during the paratroopers. I had to pinch myself several times. In wheelchair basketball, it was full with a crazy atmosphere. At the Stade de France, I was moved to see the spectators remain silent when the visually impaired athletes took off. » And to conclude while his former partners from the French team are in training: “The Paris Games showed me that I had really moved on and that there was something else to do other than skiing. »
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