Tokyo 2021: Chadian archer Marlyse Hourtou has emerged from the shadows
Chadian archer Marlyse Hourtou during the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. REUTERS - CLODAGH KILCOYNE
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
4 min
In archery, Chadian Marlyse Hourtou was eliminated in the 32nd finals of the women's tournament on July 29, 2021 in Tokyo.
She was beaten by the little South Korean prodigy An San, already twice gold medalist during these Olympic Games.
Hourtou is satisfied with her performance but she thinks she could have done better with better resources in Chad.
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From our special correspondent in Tokyo,
Seeing the closed face of
Marlyse Hourtou
, it's hard to imagine that she has just lost against one of the new phenomena of archery, An San. South Korea's 20 years has indeed already won two gold medals during the
Olympic Games
in
Tokyo in 2021
(per team, and in the mixed event). But the Chadian had not come to play this 32nd final of the women's tournament as an expiatory victim.
“
I'm not really satisfied with my performance
, she says first, a little tense, before relaxing.
It was my first participation in the Olympics and it was not easy.
But I did my best.
And I'm a little happy despite everything, because I still faced the South Korean.
I was able to take two points from him
”.
An arc that breaks in the middle of the Olympics
According to Marlyse Hourtou, it was not really helped by the circumstances. His bow was thus broken in full during these Olympics. “
I had all the possible worries. My viewfinder had a problem, a branch cracked. It wasn't easy. I had to fix some things, pay for a new sight. That's why I'm still happy today, because I didn't expect to go through this.
"
The coach of the Chad team, Abdou Zakaria Bessengue, supports. “
Imagine, at any competition, an archer who arrives with a single bow… It's very difficult
, he slips.
We are motivated to work and thus transform archery in Chad to face anyone. If we have the necessary material. But we are working with the means at hand
”.
This is also why the young woman went into exile for a time at the world archery center in Lausanne (Switzerland).
To progress.
“
It wasn't at all difficult for me to leave Chad to go there
,” recalls the 25-year-old.
I told myself that I was going to make the most of the teaching there.
At first, there, I told myself that I was bad.
But I had good coaches who supervised me well.
I can say that it is thanks to them that I was able to achieve certain scores
”.
And rub shoulders with the best on the planet at the Olympics.
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