In 2018, in PyeongChang, the Isola2000 snowboarder became the youngest Frenchwoman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.
She was 16 years old.
Four years later, Julia Pereira de Sousa Mabileau is preparing to fly away to experience the Olympic Games for a second time in Beijing, from February 4 to 20.
She spoke to
20 Minutes
about her state of mind just before participating in "the greatest race of all time".
She had been "the surprise" of the PyeongChang Olympic Games in 2018. Four years ago, at 16, Julia Pereira de Sousa Mabileau won the silver medal in snowboardcross and became the youngest French medalist at the winter games. .
A week before the start of participation in her second Olympiad, in Beijing, she confided in
20 Minutes
about her state of mind.
How do you approach the competition in Beijing?
I have a slightly strange feeling.
I still can't believe that I'm going there and I'm going to take part in the greatest race of all time again.
With my knee injury [she was injured in October in training and was unable to participate in certain camps], I have the feeling that I am not really trained.
All the work I've done has gone up in smoke.
But I stay motivated despite the stress.
The mind plays a lot on my performance so I try not to think too much and stay focused.
How hard is it to succeed so young?
It's not an age to win a medal normally [laughs].
It falls on us and even after years, I think we are never ready to experience this kind of emotion.
When you taste an Olympic medal, it's such an incredible feeling that you always want to bring it back.
Which meant that, for two years after the Games, I experienced “the other side of the coin” with difficult times.
It took me a while to understand that it had become my job and that I had always been under the pressure of having to succeed.
From a very young age [she started snowboarding at age 9], I won everything quickly, so people always expected more of me.
And you, what do you expect from yourself?
My objective is my sporting success and I put all my efforts [she decided to stop studying] to be a top athlete.
I couldn't train on the official track in November like the other boarders because of my injury, so I can't wait to get there.
And on the other hand, I'm happy because I always prefer to discover when the time comes.
Anyway, I have never approached a test serenely.
So I try not to put pressure on myself even if, deep down, I want to come back with a medal.
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