Jérémie Mion:
"I'm off for the big adventure!"

HELLO JÉRÉMIE, SAME QUESTION AS FOR THE GIRLS TO START: HOW ARE YOU, TWO MONTHS AFTER THE GAMES?

"I'm already in full swing, ready to get back into the fight! I have great projects ahead of me. There's nothing better to get over the disappointment of the Games. Finishing eleventh in Tokyo with Kévin was obviously not the goal we had set, especially after our European champion title. But that's part of an athlete's life. I was just talking about it recently with Martin Fourcade, people tend to remember only the victories, but a career is also made of defeats. You have to know how to use them to bounce back."

WHAT FEELINGS OVERCAME YOU ONCE THE COMPETITION WAS OVER?

"First, sadness, linked to the result and because with Kévin the story ended like that, abruptly, without the possibility of making up for it. Then a kind of relief to see the ordeal end after a complicated week for us. And finally, incomprehension, because we didn't find the keys to be more efficient."

WHAT DID YOU LACK TO GO FOR THAT MEDAL?

"Speed, that's for sure. Even before the Games, I felt it wasn't there, not enough anyway to aim for the podium. Unfortunately, that was quickly confirmed during the competition, we couldn't find the accelerator. It's frustrating because we don't really know why, we don't have precise answers to our questions. On the other hand, we also know we gave everything and therefore have nothing to regret. It still remains a beautiful Olympiad for us, with notably a world title, not to mention the great human adventure with Kévin."

IS THE DISAPPOINTMENT NOW DIGESTED?

"Almost... It's not easy to turn the page like that. The post-Olympics is always a delicate period to manage. We worked for five years around a goal, putting all our energy into it. When that's over, you have to reorganize your life around new adventures, recreate new points of reference, find motivation and see if it's still there. I can say it today: the flame is still there! Seeing others leave with the medal even gave me more drive!"

TO HELP YOU TURN THE PAGE, WHAT WAS YOUR DECOMPRESSION CHAMBER?

"The mountains, friends and family! All that helped me put the failure into perspective. Knowing you're well surrounded, that your loved ones are healthy, there's nothing more essential. I also met a little niece who was born during the Games. Going out to clear your head in nature does a lot of good. I spent a few days in the Chamonix valley. We went hiking on a glacier with childhood friends and my girlfriend. Then the two of us went to the Swiss Alps, with climbing, hiking, running... It's really nice to be able to do sports just for pleasure, because we tend to be a bit like machines, always pushing the cardio without thinking too much. At the same time, it also helps keep up the pace and avoids suffering too much when getting back to training!"

YOUR RETURN WASN’T ON A 470 DINGHY BUT ON AN OFFSHORE RACING BOAT, WITH THE TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE IN SIGHT (STARTING NOVEMBER 7 IN LE HAVRE). THAT’S QUITE A TACK FOR AN OLYMPIC SAILOR LIKE YOU! HOW DID YOU GET THERE?

"It's a bit of a crazy project, which I owe to one of my first Olympic sailing coaches, Cédric Chateau. After the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre, which he finished in sixth place, he challenged me to cross the Atlantic with him in the 2021 edition. I was super motivated, but it was supposed to be a year after Tokyo 2020... So with the postponement of the Games, I didn't really believe in it anymore. But then Cédric called me back last December to ask if I was still in. It seemed a bit complicated timing-wise, but he quickly reassured me by saying I'd just have to prepare the onboard playlist! And here we are, the music is ready (laughs)."

SO IT’S GOING TO BE ROCK’N’ROLL ON BOARD?

"And then some (laughs)! That style of music sums up life on such a boat well. It's a latest-generation Class40 (editor's note: 40-foot monohull), very efficient downwind (editor's note: wind from behind) but which bangs a lot. When you're lying down, you bounce off the ceiling, it sure wakes you up! But I also put in some more relaxed music. We'll need it for all the moods and atmospheres we'll experience during the race!"

THE BRIDGE BETWEEN OLYMPIC SAILING AND OFFSHORE RACING IS NOT SO OBVIOUS...

"There are quite a few great skippers who come from Olympic sailing, like Armel Le Cléac'h for example, but very few have really made it before heading offshore. They're two different sports, but there are similarities. In tactics, for example, it's a bit the same, but on a larger scale that requires a better understanding of weather systems. Knowing how to position yourself in relation to the fleet, being able to make the boat go with the right settings, all that is also quite similar. The big difference is that in Olympic sailing, we don't risk our lives. Now I'm about to do a survival course... I can feel it, I'm off for the big adventure!"

DO YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR APPREHENSIONS BEFORE THIS LEAP INTO THE UNKNOWN?

"I'm a little scared, of course, but it's positive, it means I'll be alert to react to situations I'll have to manage. I've never experienced a storm and my first night at sea was during our qualification trip, just a month ago... At the same time, I'm quite calm because I can rely on Cédric, who has a lot of experience."

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN A CHALLENGE LIKE THIS?

"My limits! Sleeping will be complicated. Eating will be a challenge. All my vital parameters will be pushed to the maximum. It's a big mission I'm taking on, especially since sailing is not an environment I grew up in, unlike many great sailors. I started on the lake of Cergy-Pontoise, I was a little Parisian. The ocean, the open sea, all that was very far away... And then great adventurers, whether mountaineers or sailors, have always fascinated and inspired me. I'm curious to see if I can be one! Getting out of my comfort zone will allow me to learn more about myself. It's going to be a very enriching experience for the future."

THE FUTURE IS ALSO A NEW 470 PROJECT WITH CAMILLE LECOINTRE AND PARIS 2024 ON THE HORIZON...

"Yes, we're off again! It's great because everyone is starting from scratch with this new mixed-gender format in the discipline. Taking on this challenge with Camille is a real pleasure. We know each other very well after several years together on the French team. She's a fighter, like me. She's done three Olympics, won two bronze medals, in Rio and then Tokyo, so it's going to be great to sail with her. To learn to interact with a woman too. I'm proud that our sport can promote this mix. At the helm, there will be women, men, the best in the discipline. The level will be incredibly high!"

WILL THE GOAL FOR PARIS 2024 BE GOLD AT ALL COSTS?

"That's what we're going for, yes, we're clear about that. When I saw Camille's face after her bronze medal in Tokyo, I quickly understood that if she went back, it wouldn't be just for fun! That's good, because neither would I. We're both world champions so we know it's a realistic goal, but we're approaching it with a lot of humility because there's everything to build."

ON THE OTHER SIDE, THERE MIGHT BE KÉVIN...

"There's a good chance, yes, but I've already warned him: he'll have to hang on (laughs)!"

THE PARIS 2024 SAILING EVENTS WILL BE IN MARSEILLE... RIGHT NEAR YOUR HOME!

"When I think about it, it's crazy! Camille will also be moving here soon. So we'll be able to sail the Olympic waters every day. With all the energy that's building up in France around these Games, the promotion of gender equality, better recognition of Paralympic athletes... I really see it as the opportunity of a lifetime."

TO FINISH, WHAT CAN WE WISH YOU?

"First, that I make it to the other side of the Atlantic, that would be nice (laughs). And to hear the Marseillaise playing, in a little less than 3 years..."