INTERVIEW. “The Legion of Honor? I prefer my gold medal!” Toulouse Ugo Didier looks back on the post-Paris 2024

More than three months after the Paralympic Games, have you come down from your cloud?

Yes completely, I’m already well back down and almost moved on to something else. Emotionally I put my feet back on the ground, but it’s true that we still have a lot of requests and events. This is what reminds us that the Games were not that long ago.

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You are studying engineering at Insa Toulouse, have the views of your classmates changed after your medals in Paris?

No, there has been no change. I already knew all my classmates and the classes allowed me this return to reality and I was happy not to have too many celebrations with the classes to get out of this bubble that was Paris 2024 and think to something else.

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Has your life changed since the Games?

No, not so much… The Games shed light on our activity and it’s true that since then we have had a lot of requests between communities, sponsors, institutions, schools, colleges, high schools, etc. We are in enormous demand. It’s important to be present for certain events but it’s also important to refuse them. Last week for example, I had five requests per day. It’s important to prioritize the sports and school project above all that. We must also respond positively as much as possible to partners and sponsors and I unfortunately had to refuse requests before the Games because the period was busy. And to come back to the question, I have already been recognized in the city center of Toulouse but I tell myself that it is very relative compared to Léon (Marchand) for example. I still remain anonymous (smile).

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You won two medals in Tokyo (silver in the 400m freestyle and bronze in the 200m freestyle), do those won in Paris have a different flavor?

I enjoyed Paris a lot more. The first big difference between these two competitions is the sporting objective: in Paris the objective was achieved and in Tokyo it was not. And humans were much more present in Paris. What we experienced in terms of emotions and adrenaline had nothing to do with Tokyo. Then in terms of stress, I had a lot more pressure in Japan than here in France, surprisingly. Even if the swimming pool was filled with 15,000 French men and women and in Tokyo there was no one there (sanitary closed session due to the Covid pandemic), I had more pressure there. I think it’s because it was my first Games. So I’m happy to have had this experience before, it was useful to me.

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The President of the Republic awarded you the Legion of Honor at the end of the Games. What does this mean to you?

I don’t feel like it changed me. It is a purely honorary title and as athletes, I do not really feel legitimate because it is a prestigious military title for people who have contributed to the advancement of the Nation (smile). As an athlete, do I have this legitimacy? Not necessarily. But I’m very happy to have had this decoration, it was a great moment that we spent with all the other athletes… But I still prefer my gold medal (laughs).

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You had the chance to experience the Games with your little brother, it’s not given to everyone…

Yes it was nice. We enjoyed our Games, I think he had a great time too. Plus they were his first and I saw that he had a lot of fun. We saw each other a little in the Olympic village, not too much during the competition because we had completely different schedules. But being at the France club was a real experience, and sharing all that with the parents who were at the France club was also great. It was Christmas before its time.

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Since then, you have left the Cugnaux club (31) to join the Dauphins du Toec… Why this choice?

It’s not a big change for me. I had already been swimming in Castex with the same group for four years. But it is a logical choice, in continuation of my project, to join the Dauphins du Toec, in particular to train with able-bodied people. I already knew the coaches, the swimmers, the leaders, the infrastructure and then it is a training environment which is much more professional than in Cugnaux.

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So on a daily basis, this won’t change anything for you?

It will change my travel times. I no longer have to go back and forth to Cugnaux. But that will also change in terms of physical preparation and then I will have the chance to train with swimmers who have a very good national level. It’s very stimulating in training because even though swimming is an individual sport, we need this team spirit on a daily basis.