At 27, Aurélie Battu is preparing to compete in the Water Polo Champions League with her new club in Mataro, Spain. After a disappointing Olympic Games with the French women’s team, the Limoges native wants to take on a new challenge by signing with one of the four best water polo clubs in Europe.
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Under the Catalan sun, north of Barcelona, in Mataro, Aurélie Battu is settling into her new club. Having arrived three weeks ago, she is preparing to discover a new championship, in one of the best teams in Europe:“It’s quite a change”confides the Limoges woman, “After the Olympics there was a big drop in emotion. It was a mixture of anger and disappointment because we didn’t manage to achieve our goals, but that will be for next time. I needed a new challenge to get me going again,” confides the French international, and it seems that the Spanish club of Mataro is up to her ambitions.
I wanted to enjoy a first experience abroad, so now I am delighted, extremely happy and very proud.
France 3 Limousin
Between two physiotherapy and training sessions, Aurélie enjoys her new Spanish life:“I made the decision to come here last May because after years of struggle I needed this, to enjoy. For me, coming here is a kind of recognition after all the work accomplished.“It must be said that the Haute-Vienne native, who started out in the sports section of the Léonard Limousin high school in Limoges, had been on the radar of the best European clubs in her discipline for several years. Finally, she chose CN Mataro, where her integration is going very well:“My teammates, the coach, the whole club welcomed me very well. I feel that everyone is happy that I am here. For my birthday – September 18 – the girls gave me a cake, it was great. I have been here for three weeks and everything is going well.”
At 27, sportingly, Aurélie signed in Spain to win titles and finish her career on a high note. At the very least, she hopes to reach the Final Four of the Champions League this season and why not aim for the championship but the competition will be tough.
With the French team, too, ambitions will be high. With her 90 selections, Aurélie Battu is already thinking about the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. First, she hopes to qualify with Les Bleues for the next World Championships, in Singapore in the summer of 2025.
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