From our special correspondent in Tokyo,
She can’t hold back her tears of joy when spoken to, almost a knee-jerk reaction. “The more people come to congratulate me, the more I want to cry,” comments Romane Dicko. He is just happy, appeased after a day that should have been that of eternal consecration. Teddy Riner is funny, even. “My children will see nothing but fire in color! I only want to come home with this medal and kiss my family, my friends… You know I came for the gold, I saw myself with it, but I saw myself without too, let go of the judoka. An Olympic bronze medal has its weight, it makes you happy. Usually I take it off, but this one, I’m going to savor it because p…. It has been difficult in recent years, we had to tear ourselves away. Frankly she is kiffante. “
“There was a time when it had to happen”
He even sang it to Romane Dicko, his friend from PSG, when she fell in the half, defeated by the immense experience of Ortiz. “He said to me: ‘You can’t spit a bronze medal on it, I started with that’. I wanted another one but I have the medal, it’s done, I can tick it off. See you in three years to check off the other ”. Same day as Riner?
We ask the judoka if he feels old and the giant from Guadeloupe gently sends us on the roses: “If I had done fifth I would have said” yes “, then I am telling you” no “. I knew world gold, European gold, there was a time when it had to happen. You have to learn to lose. And despite everything “mimiche” it is still there. Laughter in the small mixed area of the Budokan. And Paris then, we stay on one last ball at home to win this third Olympic gold? Teddy Riner speaks to Franck Chambily, next door. “Don’t talk to me about Paris, I don’t even want a phone call, what are you doing or I don’t know what!” There is rest. We’ll see. “
Romane Dicko has already made an appointment in 2024. She is only 21 years old and still remembers Emilie Andéol’s premonition in Rio, during a trip organized by the Randoris club of Villeneuve-le -King : ” We had spent the whole week in judo, remembers Frédéric Blet-Charaudeau, the president. Romane had just returned to Insep, the judokas of the France team knew her, we had taken lots of photos from the airport. Emilie had recognized her just after her Olympic title, she had approached and said “next is for you”. What is called passing the baton with a certain lucidity.
Thamgo’s advice for Dicko
It must be said that the kid wins everything. Champion of France senior at 16, unheard of. The precocity of Riner, the more injuries: the knee then the shoulder, between the two Olympics. “She needed emotional support,” confides her famous cousin Teddy Thamgo, who came to pass a head in judo before accompanying Rouguy Diallo to the Olympic stadium for the qualifiers for the triple jump. When we are young, when we go up at full speed and we have stops like that, we wonder about his career. I know those moments, I was able to help her as a man of the shadows when she needed it. “
The last time ? The night before in the Olympic Village: “She was relaxed and concentrated at the same time. I told him to take the initiative, to send the sauce. Simple advice. »Respected almost to the letter. Dicko, who remained on 14 victories by Ippon, puts on three more, stumbling only on a legend of his sport. “He told me ‘you’re on a mission’. Well, she was half-failed, but I hope he’ll be happy anyway. There is little doubt about that.