From adversity to determination: my road to the Olympic Games

📷 BeureyStudio

Hello to the Ameg Group team,

I hope you're well!

After a turbulent start to the year,...

...here's some news from my Olympic quest!

The first two months were complicated, with back problems coming back and stopping me for several weeks. I wasn't able to take part in the altitude physical preparation course in Prémanon in January. It's never easy to watch others train when your body is forcing you to stop. But you've got no choice - you've got to listen to yourself too! Fortunately, I'm lucky enough to have an incredible medical staff around me, and everything has been put in place to get me back in a boat as quickly as possible.

After rest, treatment and a lot of strengthening, I was able to gradually resume physical activity in February (swimming, home trainer cycling galore!). Not the most fun for me, but the best way of continuing to work on my core without hindering the progress of my back. I've been back to 100% intensity on the boat since the beginning of March! Injury is also part of the journey, and I told myself that I was a bit "lucky" to have already experienced this situation in 2021 before the Tokyo Olympics. With this experience, I was able to live the situation with more serenity, knowing exactly what to do and keeping my confidence.

A crucial step on the road to Olympic qualification

We had a very good course in March in Portugal with Claire, where we did a lot of double-handed kilometers in superb conditions. We had everything we needed for a quality course, the first of 2024 for me, and I really enjoyed it! It was great to meet up with the whole team again, and it's incredible the power of the collective to motivate and surpass ourselves every day!

At the beginning of April, we had the French Solo Championships. They marked the final selection point for the French double. Although my performances at the end of 2023 had been my best, I was keen to show that I was present at this Championship, as I didn't have many points of reference for these first months of 2024 due to my injury!

I came back from this Championship as French Vice-Champion behind Claire, with a lead of more than 10 seconds over Aurélie, our replacement. I was really pleased to see that I'd already recovered my great sensations and my level of performance after months of hard work.

This means that Claire and I have now qualified as part of the French duo: the first step has been taken.

Intense preparation and unwavering determination for Paris 2024

Now it's time for the second one: winning our Olympic quota for the Paris Olympics, on May 21 in Lucerne, Switzerland.

We'll need to finish in the top two boats to qualify for the Olympics. The competition is going to be fierce, and we're going to meet all the girls who, like us, haven't yet qualified. Italians, Greeks, Poles, Australians, Swiss... It's a great field, but we're up to the challenge and ready to give ourselves a chance to experience the Games in Paris.

We're already back at Bellecin in the Jura, putting in the miles together. The weather isn't exactly with us, with snow and sub-zero temperatures, but nothing is dampening our motivation so close to the goal! We're focused and determined every day to give ourselves every chance of succeeding on this famous stage. We're training very well, and we're also paying attention to all the "extras" that are just as important in this final stretch, so that we don't have any problems and arrive in great shape! A good diet, hydration, plenty of sleep, care... Nothing is left to chance.

Thank you once again for all your support.
I hope to thrill you this summer, believe me: I'm doing everything I can!

See you on May 19, 20 and 21. I want to hear you shouting from behind your screens to encourage me and give me the strength I need to get that ticket!

See you soon,
Laura