• French fencing is going pretty well.

    It was synonymous with five medals for France at the last Olympic Games.

  • Small flat, the male saber, the weapon most in difficulty with the female sword.

  • "By dint of losing in recent years, we have entered a negative circle," explains Vincent Anstett, who has just retired to take charge of the men's swordsmen.

Five medals, two of which are gold.

French fencing came out of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Almost a rebirth for this discipline, the country's No. 1 provider of awards, but struggling at Rio-2016 (3) and especially in London with a zero point.

On the strength of this new record, the president of the Federation Bruno Gares announced in the wake of a goal of twelve medals for Paris.

“I don't think it has ever been done in history!

“, Tempers today Vincent Anstett, the new coach of the French men's saber team.

The ex-shooter, individual European vice-champion in 2016, has just recovered one of the rare weapons where the Blues no longer perform.

He has three years to fix it.

You were still on the trail a few months ago.

Did you expect this new role?

I had prepared for it.

Even after a business school and experiences in marketing and events, I had this desire to train.

I think my primary skill is in my sport with my expertise.

I was world No. 2, had a twenty-year career, know the international circuit well, the athletes… To be reactive immediately in a shortened Olympiad, it's an interesting added value.

What is your diagnosis on the French men's saber today?

It is not the same for the men's and women's saber (which won two medals in Tokyo).

In men, it is a weapon in difficulty.

Clearly.

It's been twelve years since we took part in the Olympic Team Games.

The last times were in 2004 and 2008 and we were Olympic champions.

Since then, we have missed several qualifications, including me.

At the individual level, we only have one Frenchman in the top 50 in the world.

We have lost the culture of winning.

We will have to reverse this trend with a 50% renewed group at Insep, between departures and stops.

The best Frenchman, Bolade Apithy (world n ° 7) is training far from Insep.

Under the orders of Christian Bauer, in Orléans, in a dissident structure ...

For me, it is an improved club, a parallel private structure, not a dissident one.

It's quite rare and new in fencing, but it exists in other disciplines.

Since we are in an opposition sport where we are not very numerous either, the best were often gathered.

Like any new organization, there are questions that go with it.

The good thing is that it can create a kind of emulation.

There will be more athletes in a high level process.

The negative point is that we will have to find the operations and consistency in the overall project.

And it is sure that Bolade would do my group at Insep good on a daily basis, to bring opposition.

That's how it is, you have to evolve and keep in touch.

How are your relations with this academy?

For the moment, we have no difficulties.

I hope that there will be no particular concern once we have clearly defined the operation.

With Christian Bauer, who is also from Strasbourg, we were trained by the same fencing master, Philippe Nicolas.

Thanks to that, we have a fencing philosophy that is quite close.

It will simplify our work together.

I do not intend to interfere with its day-to-day operations and when we are in international competitions, I hope to take over as intelligently as possible.

What are you going to change to make the results change?

I already hope to succeed in conveying my vision of the saber, which may be different from that of my predecessors.

Then, I want a united group and which finds the culture of winning because by dint of losing in recent years, we have entered a negative circle.

Hugues Obry (the coach of male swordsmen) inspires me a lot on this subject.

He transmits a lot to his athletes this denial of defeat on a daily basis.

Finally, I want to bring a new organization with in particular video analysis or performance monitoring tools.

We were already using it, but not in training, for example.

Considering the latest results, is it imaginable to see a swordsman on a podium in Paris?

It must also be said that we have seen positive things in recent months. We had won a World Cup circuit just before Tokyo. This means that when everyone is in full possession of their means and the planets align, we manage to be very efficient. So, yes, we will be able to perform well at the next Olympics. I did not set an accounting target in terms of medals. I rather have an objective of means and scenarios. When I arrive in Paris, I wish to have athletes able to go and get a medal. To say today that we will have a French swordsman on the podium in 2024, that would be marketing. I'm more pragmatic: I want them to progress and be close to the top 16 in the world ranking.We may not have certainties, but I hope that they will be able to upset the established order.

The president of the Federation said he hoped for 12 medals ...

Rather, it is an ambition.

This means that we must prepare and put in the means as if we were aiming for this assessment.

Twelve medals, that's 50% of the total awarded… I don't think it has ever been done in history!

But, I repeat, it is an ambition to be effective at the next Olympics and that fencing further improves its contribution of medals to France.

Apart from your appointment and the return of Hugues Obry, the staffs have changed a lot since the end of the last Olympic Games.

What is the general mood?

There have been quite a few changes and it seems normal to me.

Coaches are threatened in all sports.

We have come out of what we used to call “coeducation”, now with coaches by weapon for girls and boys.

For me, it was more of a heresy than something effective because there are tactical and technical disparities depending on the gender.

There, I can focus on the men's sector, it's easier to focus on 12 athletes than on 24. It has to stabilize now.

We will quickly be caught up by the reality on the ground, training and competitions.

What are the next deadlines?

I am very happy because we will have a first World Cup stage in France, in Orléans in mid-November.

Of the six weapons, four had a trial in the country.

With the exception of the ladies' sword and the men's saber, as luck would have it the two teams which have had difficulties for eight years… We are therefore going to seize this opportunity with 20 places instead of 12 for my fencers.

Afterwards, the main events will be the European and World Championships next summer.

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