“The hardest title was that of Paris”

Welcome to this live. It is provided by Laurent Gaudens at the Poitiers editorial office and edited by Boris Granger.

11 h 55. “Reception, attack, counter, service… Is there a move that you prefer to make and what do you feel when you do it? » asks Aurélien, sports educator for adults with mental disabilities.

“Generally, it is the serviceconfides the Volleyball player. I'm not a good blocker but when I succeed in a block, I like it, because it allows me to disrupt the opponent. And third, it's the attack, because that's what makes the point, everyone volleys to attack. Initially, as I was small, I was put on the pass, and I said if that's the case, I'm going back to football. I wanted to attack. »

11 h 50. At 13, Léonie played volleyball at the CEP in Saint-Benoît. She questions the champion about his style of play, his “crazy gestures”, « faster, more spectacular, and above all more effective”.

“At first, it was to have fun during trainingrecognizes Earvin Ngapeth. And then the coach pushed me to do it in a match. When it can be tight and there is a point to put on a show it can help. There are a lot of times when I miss the feints, but people are nice, they don't put them on the networks. »

11 h 45. Jean-Luc, 58 years old and administrative assistant, in turn questions the champion. “How are things going between you, those who play or not? » asks the volleyball enthusiast.

“We have a mental trainer who will see each otherexplains the volleyball player. The coach's word is to say that if we want to win, Earvin must be at the top, and so they make me play. There is a lot of friendship in the team, that helps a lot. For the Games, there were two apartments, but we spent them in one, all together. We don't let anyone stray from the group. We saw that for Trévor Clévenot, it was hard but we stayed with him. »

“We like to spend time togetherassure Earvin Ngapeth. We see that in the other teams there are guys who can't see each other, when we prepare for the Games, we go to summer camp. You can feel it on the pitch, when there are difficult moments, even when you have to fight back. »

11 h 40. It's Aurore's turn, 36 years old and a volleyball player for twenty years, to ask a question. “Which title with the French team was the hardest to conquer? »

“They were all tough but the hardest was in Paris, because I got injured during the presentation. I struggled to come back, we weren't sure I could make the Gamesremembers the champion. I spent all the preparation in the stands, I struggled, in the Philippines, in Canada, I was alone and I told myself that maybe it was all for nothing. When I start the Games, I'm not 100%, I got into the rhythm as the competition progressed. »

11 h 35. “As an MVP (“most valuable player”) of the last two Olympic Games, how did you manage individual recognition in such a collective sport? » adds Mathis.

“You learn it later when you’re all alonereplied Earvin Ngapeth. It's special, it's nice, but you've already celebrated your thing, your Olympic title. It's rewarding but it's not the same thing, there's more emotion in the League of Nations for that. »

11 h 30. Mathis, a 23-year-old business manager, is the first to ask the volleyball player a question: “You won two consecutive Olympic gold medals (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024). What do these victories represent for you, and how did you experience the pressure in Paris in front of the French public? »

“In Tokyo, our goal was to get out of the group because it had never happened and qualify for the quarterfinalsreplies the champion. It was simpler in Tokyo because it was Covid, with very strict rules, we were together, that helped us. It freed us, we played perfect matches. We couldn't imagine that we could be champions. »

“Behind, we were lucky enough to be able to defend our title in Paris, we were expectedhe continues. We arrived mentally armored and ready. Nothing could take us away from our goal of keeping our title. »

11 h 25. Earvin Ngapeth has just arrived at the Poitiers editorial office. The volleyball player enters and discovers the readers who will ask him their questions. A little coffee for the road and the meeting begins.

11 h 15. The volleyball player will be a quarter of an hour late, we learn. The readers continue their discussion in the editorial meeting room. They talk about the other Alterna players, Earvin Ngapeth's next and last match, Friday against Tours, the French team and the players who will stay for the next Olympic Games, etc.

Will Poitiers be champion of France? The question is asked of François Bellot. “We will have to manage after Earvinreplies our journalist. If they ever earn less, everyone will say it's because of that. »

10 h 55. Our journalist from the Vienne sports editorial office François Bellot will host the meeting scheduled for 11 a.m. While waiting for Earvin Ngapeth to arrive, he talks with readers about the Olympic champion, volleyball and sport in general.

10 h 30. Our seven readers have just arrived at the editorial office of The New Republic et Press Centerin Poitiers. They are waiting there for double Olympic champion Earvin Ngapeth, who has been involved with Alterna Stade Poitevin Volleyball since September 19, 2024. After a final match against Tours at the Futuroscope Arena, Friday December 27, the latter will fly to Turkey, where he will play this year with the Fenerbahçe club.

Mathis, Aurore, Léonie, Aurélien, Victorien, Fanny and Jean-Luc, our readers, are between 13 and 58 years old and are all passionate about volleyball. Olympic experience, style of play, attachment to Poitiers, career plan… They have prepared numerous questions to find out everything about the volleyball player's state of mind and his vision of the discipline in France.