“My goal is to come back with a medal.” This Wednesday, Clarisse Agbégnénou is on the tatami in -63 kg at the Doha World Championship in Qatar, a few weeks after her return to competition in Tel Aviv. After shedding the kimonogate affair, the reigning Olympic champion is focused on her goals and told 20 minutes how she calmly manages to reconcile her double life as a high-level sportswoman and a mother.
In one of the Insep dojos, a few weeks ago, it was a media marathon afternoon for the multi-medal-winning judoka. She answers with a smile while Athena, her ten-month-old daughter, plays nearby and goes from arm to arm: “She loves meeting people even if she still looks for me often. I try not to be in her field of vision otherwise she will want to do the interview with us, ”smiles Clarisse Agbégnénou when the little girl picks up the subterfuge and joins us. “She’s so used to me taking her everywhere. And then she’s really super easy, she doesn’t cry much and adapts quickly,” confides the tender young mother.
What is a typical day in the life of Clarisse Agbégnénou today?
I don’t really have a typical day, the days are similar but the training sessions are different. In the morning, it’s waking up at about the same time with Athena, who is a late riser even though she doesn’t sleep through the night and wakes up every 1:30 to 2 hours to nurse. I also recover at this time before continuing with the physical preparation. Either I take her or she stays with daddy at home. If she is with me, it is my physical trainer who plays and takes care of her while I train. Then, return home at noon. She takes a nap and in that moment, ideally I rest, most of the time, I have things to do and I don’t ask myself! Then, second training at 5 p.m. Now my daughter is older so she follows me less and stays at home with her father or someone around us who looks after her.
What has changed since your pregnancy in your training? In your daily life?
I am no longer alone. It’s her first, I prepare her, I take care of her business, I make her breastfeed. And after, it’s me, I go for it. When I’m in my session, I’m very focused. But above all, it is his preparation and his well-being.
How do you focus on your sport when you have a ten month old baby? How do you maintain the same rigour, the same concentration?
It’s not always easy. [Athena a récupéré un stylo et tente de tenir debout. Elle termine sur les fesses, mais ne se décourage pas et réessaie]. It’s very sporty, you see (laughs!) But we’re not less than 100%. I am less focused on judo in my daily life. On the other hand on a tatami, given that it is a sport in confrontation, I have no choice. It’s so hard that we can’t afford to be only at 90%. So during my sessions, whether physical preparation or judo, I manage to manage. There now, Athena is growing, asking for more attention, is more awake and therefore she moves more. I prefer to leave it a little more, possibly to my spouse who accompanies me and manages it. It prevents her from seeing me and interrupting me. Otherwise he keeps her at home and enjoys their time together. Because since I’m breastfeeding her, it’s true that she’s been spending a lot of time with me since she was born. So it also allows them to have their moments together.
Knowing how to surround yourself is the key to combining motherhood and high level?
When my maternity project became clearer, I quickly talked about it to my spouse, my mother, my little brother, Nadia [son agent]and they were unanimous in telling me “you have two and a half years left before the Paris Olympics, we will be there to support you”. Even my girlfriends are very present, they are delighted to keep Athena, they take advantage of it. They also know that the situation is temporary. In a way, they contribute to my career and my sporting success.
Are there any frustrations? In your maternity? In your current judo practice?
I am happy, I can see my daughter evolve on a daily basis. She is not kept in a crèche. Everyone helps and supports me. And concerning sport, it’s hard but it was already when I was alone. I think I’m doing well, I manage to be competitive despite my pregnancy, postpartum, my daughter’s education.
How do you choose to have a child during your high-level career?
We discussed it with my husband, who is younger. He was ready to wait until after Paris 2024. But for me, it was not a question of the Games, even at home. The urge was far too strong for me to sacrifice, even temporarily. I wanted to be a mom, I want and I can do both. If I had waited, I would have been sad, I would have ruminated and I think it would have harmed my condition and even my results.
It was therefore unthinkable for me not to have a child before the Paris Games, even if it doesn’t always happen when you want. I was lucky because even after taking the pill for ten years, I quickly got pregnant. Just after Tokyo, I threw away my brochure even though it wasn’t finished and I continued with the post-Games media solicitations. Without calculating anything, in a few weeks I was expecting Athena.
Did you think about this motherhood during your younger career? Were there role models that you identified with?
I had never thought of that. Already, it’s complicated at the start of a career to know how long we’re going to last, how it’s going to unfold, whether we’re going to succeed as we want. I dreamed of being champion. To have a child and come back no. I thought it was too hard. I would surely have answered: everything in its time.
But motherhood imposed itself, I did not ask myself more questions about the practice of my sport. I heard “it’s going to be too hard, you’re not going to make it”. Even my own mother advised me to wait until after the Games, to throw myself fully into judo and see after. Becoming a mother before the Games in Paris was stronger than me. The choice for me was either to be sad for the Olympics in 2024, or to reconcile the two. I chose and I don’t regret anything.
Would the decision have been different if you hadn’t won the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021?
I don’t know. When I missed the gold medal in 2016 in Rio, my only goal afterwards was to become an Olympic champion. But there, with the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Games, I think I needed to breathe. I was coming out of a five-year cycle, which is very long, incredibly dense both psychologically and physically. It was really difficult.
Is it important for you to show that it’s possible to be a champion and a mother, especially on social networks?
I am sure of it. Knowing that today, we often hear that what we see on the networks is not reality. I show the cool moments as well as the difficult ones. And I get lots of thank you messages like “thank you for showing that at home too, nights are very complicated. We don’t know how you do it, what you’re fueled by. I answer that I am lucky to be well accompanied.
I’m tired, for sure, I know I have to watch my diet and my sleep, but for the second part with Athena, it’s complicated. So I will try to focus on food and take nutrients for recovery. It’s not all easy. But it is a real pleasure. And then, I have the gold medal in Paris in my sights, I want to show my daughter that you have to give everything to achieve your goals.
Is the resumption of high-level sport “breastfeeding-compatible”?
It was obvious to me, at least for the first six months. If my coaches hadn’t agreed, I would have favored my daughter. The international judo federation allowed me to breastfeed her in the warm-up room at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam, it had never been done. I met people listening, who were willing to test. And I hope to have paved the way for the following, that they say to themselves that everything is possible. Certainly, the fatigue part is not easy to manage but the psychological part is very important in my opinion. And seeing my daughter happy is enough for me to draw my motivation to win a medal. I also avoid real logistics, taking milk, water, powder, bottles, bottle warmers everywhere, it’s a real time saver.
What is your state of form on the eve of Doha?
It’s much better. I needed to do judo level quantity. I started training again about a month and a half after giving birth so it’s only been nine months. This is little. And I think I’m doing well. I found some automatisms, some are still missing. It bodes well for the Games in 2024. I would probably be a bit tight for the Worlds where my objective is to come back with a medal, it may be complicated for the title but if the head follows, it can pass . And then, gold medal goal at home, I will give everything to keep my Olympic title.