From podium to podium: Back to her roots, new challenges and international encounters for Laura Tarantola

📷 BeureyStudio

Hello to the Ameg Group team,
I hope you are well!

For my part, I came home Bronzed 😎🥉 from the French Club Championships last September!
It was great to be on the podium in the "All Categories" (no lightweights this time!) and to share it with Emma Lunatti and the Grenoble club. It had been 2 years since I'd been able to do a collective championship with #Grenoble because of Olympic preparations. What a pleasure to get back to my roots and the club atmosphere!
I'm delighted to return home with a medal around my neck and the thrill of a podium finish.

New challenges!

As you can see, after this summer's failure, I needed to find new goals to keep me going without dwelling too much on the past. Still sporting goals to keep in shape, but different! I was able to take part in theEkiden, a relay marathon in Grenoble two weeks ago:

I did the 10km, signing my record in 44 minutes!
I'd already done this race in 2021, after Tokyo, and completed the 10km in 48 minutes. I'm so happy to see that progress! The power of frustration works everywhere 😉

And just as I promised you some surprises for the end of the year, here I am, embarking on a completely mad adventure!

Participate in the prestigious Head of The Charles in Boston!

In rowing, it's one of the most mythical races in existence, right in the heart of a city where rowing is practiced to the hilt, along with the great American universities. The race format is a 6km time trial, with boats starting every 20 seconds.

I was lucky enough to be selected to take part in this 8-boat competition, aboard a 100% international crew!

A mix with all my competitors in recent years! It was great! The world's best lightweights together for a week in Boston.

We're used to seeing each other in competition, but our exchanges were often restricted because of it. In Boston, we were able to share some great moments, both on and off the boat, getting to know each other and immediately connecting with each other. The joy of seeing each other outside the stressful context of high stakes gave the group a truly superb atmosphere. Everyone was so happy to be there and to be part of the project.

In the boat were: an Englishwoman, an American, a Romanian, two Canadians, two Irishwomen and me.

It's often said that there's no one better than our competitors to be our own reflections, and it's true. We have pretty much the same lives, know all the victories, defeats, doubts, choices... and sharing this experience together was magical. We stayed with hosts and this created unforgettable moments in our lives.

With little training in common, and in the "All Categories" category, we finished 5th, not far from the podium, out of 30 international boats. Boston means a very high level, and we were up against Olympic crews who are used to competing in the 8s. We did pretty well, beating prestigious boats like Cambridge University! The race was crazy, and the helmswoman knew the basin by heart, so she was able to set a superb course to lose as little time as possible. Being helmed in English, in an incredible atmosphere, will remain a great memory.

We outdid ourselves together rather than against each other, and that was fabulous.

In short, it was magical! Here are a few photos.

I won't hide from you that there was a little emotional sequence 😢 for all of us as we left. It was an enchanted interlude.

It was a week to remember!

See you soon for more adventures, we look forward to seeing you...

Thank you for always being there!

Laura

#TeamAmegGroup