The Cross : The general public left you with eyes full of emotion this summer, when you obtained your two medals – gold in the prone air rifle at 10 meters and silver in the standing air rifle at 10 meters. Can we speak of a summer of jubilation?
Tanguy de La Forest: We can use that term. Between the emotions experienced on a sporting level and those coming from the celebration with the public, everything came together to make it happen. I don’t have a stronger memory than the one I experienced this summer, at least in sporting terms.
The emotion that I express, at the moment when I realize that I have won these medals, also reflects the fruition of long-term work over several years. I had participated in five Olympics before, sometimes coming very close to the podium. The fact that this time, in front of my audience, in the most beautiful place there is, I manage to achieve this objective, it is the feeling of accomplished work.
At the Games, you have a unique emulation, due to the fact that all the sports are present. It is also an opportunity to present our sport. As an athlete, we have an additional role: we are ambassadors. This also plays a role in the memory we keep of such an event.
Looking back a few months, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the organization of the Paris 2024 Games. Do the French sometimes find it difficult to rejoice?
T. de La F.: In all Games, there are controversies. Whether on the financial, organizational, ecological, sporting side, etc. There are lots of challenges when organizing this type of event. It was said that we would not be able to unite the French around a theme. And then sport arrived. No one expected it, including the French public themselves, who surprised themselves by enjoying it so much. Beyond the sometimes difficult economic, political or social context, the French wanted to become one.
This popular success was not a foregone conclusion. It was the successful organization of the Games and the results of French athletes that made this possible. The first successes during the Olympic Games created real enthusiasm which benefited the Paralympic Games.
The audience for the Paralympic Games was not quite the same, many families came, but it was very complementary to the audience for the Olympics. This is undoubtedly the great story of Paris 2024. As a para-athlete, and therefore directly concerned, we are also jubilant to see this interest shown in the cause of disability.
You make no secret of your Catholic faith. Does spirituality come into play when approaching the sporting challenge?
T. de La F.: Spirituality is present in me every day, whether in successes or in more delicate moments. In fact, I’m not going to pray any differently when approaching a sporting event. I ask God to give me the strength to surpass myself, to fight, to be good during the day, both when I shoot and when I don’t shoot. I thank him for what he offers me.
Obviously there is this “grace” side that comes into play during sporting success, but I will say that my faith accompanies me even more in my associative and entrepreneurial life, where the idea of helping my neighbor remains omnipresent. With the rifle, we are alone.
When we experience a jubilant moment, do we fear the next?
T. de La F.: We hear a lot of feedback along these lines from athletes who have difficulty coming down. This is even more true with the Paris Games, because some have bet on these Games at home. And even when we win, we can be tempted to say to ourselves: “Am I going to experience this again? »
I have the chance to reconcile my sporting career with other activities such as entrepreneurship, my associative role (he works at the French Paralympic Committee, Editor’s note)and my family life. All of this animates me every day. Ultimately, I did not experience this difficulty upon returning from the Games, because I have other projects on the side. I know that I am privileged to have all these elements that allow me to flourish other than through sport. This is undoubtedly what helped me to get the most beautiful medal.
——
► His inspiration: a motto
“Everything comes in time to those who wait.” »
Quote, which is attributed to François Rabelais.
