Samir Aït Saïd took 4th place on the rings this Monday during the Tokyo Olympics.
Injured just before the London Games and the victim of a terrible tibia fibula fracture in Rio, he finally hoped to win at least one medal in Tokyo, as he had promised himself.
But his body let him down again, three days ago in training, and he could not defend all his chances.
Moved - and moving -, the flag bearer of the French delegation during the opening ceremony promises that he will return.
Still.
From our special correspondent in Tokyo,
These are the hardest mixed areas to do. When the athlete arrives with red eyes, you can feel the dam ready to let go at the slightest word, but you have to ask him how he feels. Bad, we know. It's stupid, but you have to start with something. Samir Aït Saïd came to us bruised on Monday after his fourth place on the rings. Injured just before London in 2012, victim of a terrible double tibia fibula fracture in qualifying in Rio in 2016, he had promised to return to win a medal in Tokyo.
A model of self-sacrifice, the gymnast returned, and was even appointed flag bearer for the opening ceremony with Clarisse Agbegnenou. But he failed in his mission. His body let go, again. Inconsolable, he gives himself up, and we hardly dare to relaunch him. Because there is nothing else to do but listen to it. So we transcribed it to you like that, raw. The throat a little tight, we recognize it.
“It's difficult… It's difficult… Because I already deserve this fourth place. It's difficult because I couldn't express myself the way I wanted. I hurt my biceps three days ago, I stopped training, I thought I will not hurt today with the adrenaline, but as I warmed up I felt that it was impossible. I was asked if I wanted to be forfeited [long silence, tears come to him ...]
No, it was dead. I thought it was going to blow. As for doing, I preferred that it farts during the final. It was inconceivable to give up, to give up. I don't know how I did [to run his program]. I don't know… I couldn't do it again. I'm crazy, because I thought it was going to blow up, and despite that I went. I couldn't express myself 100%, it pisses off [tears again]. I could do something, I could win [he shakes the fist].
If I am cursed?
No, I am not cursed.
I will win in Paris and I will not be cursed.
It's dead, I'm going to win in Paris.
I told you that I was going to come back to Tokyo and that I was going to slam my medal, I came back, I did not slam it, I am at the foot of the podium.
When I speak I do not speak in the wind, otherwise I prefer to be silent, it's better.
Today, it's the place I deserve, it's like that, I didn't deserve to be a medalist, not with what I did.
I don't care about the Courage Medal, that's good, but that's not why I train every day.
I charred, you have no idea how much.
I worked, pfiiiiou, it was hard, very hard.
Some believed in me, others didn't, I tore myself away, I made sacrifices.
Frankly, I shit.
But I will not end up having this medal, that's for sure. I will be at home, in my country, in my city, I will take the Grail. You don't know what I'm capable of getting this medal. I'm capable of anything, even doing a movement at the Olympics with an arm that I couldn't lift. It's rubbish, I don't know how I did it. My physiotherapist gave me a tourniquet. A tourniquet ...
I had no choice.
I couldn't give up, it wasn't me.
I don't give up: either I lose or I hurt myself, but I never admit defeat.
And I couldn't, in the Olympic final, say "I can't".
My opponents saw that I had a problem, but that's okay, I did it anyway.
I didn't do my job, it was to bring home a medal, and I'm fourth.
But it's not over, believe me.
"
It is said with such determination that everyone is speechless.
A smile, anyway, and then Aït Saïd leaves.
He will come back.
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