On August 3, she became the first French archer to win an individual medal. Lisa Barbelin had achieved the feat of removing one of the many Koreans, the leading archery nation, from the podium. Six months after this unparalleled (and surely incomparable) explosion of joy, the Mosellane recounts her post-Olympic days, the enormous demands, her return to normal life and her American dream, the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028?
What do you remember about the Olympics six months after your bronze medal?
I still have a fairly intact memory of what happened, because it was a pivotal moment in my career and in my life. I am very happy with everything that happened. I really remember the French craze, the fact that we were all together for a while, which is perhaps a little less the case, at least we feel it less. And that had a big impact on me.
Do we say to ourselves that there cannot be an equivalent in your life as a high-level athlete?
That's exactly it. Even if there may be gold perhaps in Los Angeles or even later, but it will never be the same as in Paris. That's for sure. Afterwards, it's really very, very far from my thoughts, because I experienced an exceptional moment and I don't want to be in the past, but rather to see the future and just tell myself that I made the most of every second.
Was it complicated to get back into it?
A little yes. We ask ourselves what do we do after all this? What is the goal after all that? And actually, it came back very quickly. I wanted to get back to training and it went very well straight away. So yes, everything is fine today. There is the short and medium term objective, which is the 2025 World Championships. And then, of course, in my sights is Los Angeles 2028. I haven't made a plan yet, but I had I already need to find a goal that is imposed on me and not one that is imposed on me. So there, it happened by itself, and that's how it's most effective.
Was it complicated to manage the post-Olympic frenzy?
I really liked it. And it was really quite a strange feeling, I felt a bit like a rockstar after all. As time went by, as the schedules piled up, with the classes, the training, the demands, it tired me even though I really like it. And so, I had to take a little break from the requests. What I like is not being on television, what I like is training and winning competitions. So, I will be able to put the church back in the center of the village. And that’s cool.
How did this rockstar status translate?
There were times when people took my picture without asking me. And that, I think, is a star thing. I was also able to parade at the Salon du chocolat wearing a chocolate dress. I never imagined experiencing this. When we see them, we say thank you for the medal. I remember being on the ski slopes, with the Etoiles du sport, and thinking to myself: “Thank you Paris 2024 for everything you have given me. »
Afterwards, it slowly begins to fall. And that's good because it's not a life that I particularly enjoy. But it's still nice to feel supported like that, even if there's a bit of a perverse side to it. You always have to be perfect. You have to be careful what you say. You must be careful to smile often, even all the time, you must always have good posture, and not relax too much. And that’s not always easy.
A few weeks ago, you criticized the broken promises after these Olympics in supporting the medalists…
It’s true that we’ve said that a lot. But, I think I prefer to rectify the situation a little by saying that it is true that there are certain promises that are not kept, but we did our best and we are still doing our best to be hyper active in this regard. side there. And that's also what takes us time and a lot of energy to open all possible doors. I'm sure that after a while it will work. We try to make sure it goes well. For sponsors, we must wait for answers.
I thought it would be easier with a medal around my neck, and that it would fall off a bit on its own. Actually, ultimately, no. We have to be very proactive in order for it to work. Because there are a lot of medalists. We're not all called Léon Marchand or Teddy Riner. I have been with the Army of Champions for four years with the national gendarmerie, it is my employer, I am professional thanks to them. This support lasts for two years. It makes your head feel a lot lighter in the medium term.
You are talking about a proactive approach. For example ?
We are doing more and more corporate seminars, because we believe that high-level sport and the business world are very similar and can be transposed to one another. We also made a book with a graphic designer, to show a little of our sport and its image.
And with all that, there was the resumption of your chemistry studies…
It was hot because it had been a year since I went back to college. I got back into it, I got back into it too. And I was lucky to have teachers who were on hand with me and who helped me a lot, supported me a lot during this rather complicated period, from September to October, when I had to get back to it. Everyone in my class, they knew who I was before I could tell them my name. But hey, it suits me well. At least it makes for very easy topics of conversation. Afterwards, my name is not Romane Dicko who is also in the same university as me.
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