Taekwondo: Ivorian Cheick Cissé tests himself in Paris with 2024 in sight
Ivorian Cheick Sallah Cissé during the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. Getty Images - Maja Hitij
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
3 mins
Cheick Cissé won the bronze medal over 80 kg at the Paris Taekwondo Grand Prix on September 4, 2022 in Levallois.
The Ivorian, Olympic champion in 2016, intends to shine in this weight category in order to erase the failure of the Tokyo Games and "
be on top
" for those of 2024 in the French capital.
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July 26, 2021 at Makuhari Messe Hall A, near Tokyo.
Cheick Sallah Cissé's hopes of retaining his historic Olympic title for Côte d'Ivoire, five years after his 2016 coronation, were dashed in the first round.
On leaving the field, the Ivorian tries to look good with the few media present, despite this failure.
But the smile is a little forced.
“
It had been difficult.
I knew that I was eagerly awaited and I wanted to repeat the feat of Rio
, he rewinds, this September 4, 2022 in front of the Palais des sports Marcel Cerdan, near Paris.
Tokyo had been a bad competition for me.
So the most important thing was to get back to work very quickly and set new goals
.
Change of weight class
After recharging his batteries with his family, the one who won the first Ivorian gold medal at the Olympic Games makes a decision: to move to the upper weight category, that of over 80 kg.
“
I have less effort to make to reach the weight
, underlines the one who has nevertheless gained almost everything in -80 kg.
I sometimes had to lose 10 or 15 kg in order to be able to compete
”.
At the Parisian Grand Prix, the Abidjanais once again tested this morphology.
Result: a bronze medal, following a defeat against the Cuban Rafael Alba.
“
It was the first time that I fought in Paris and it was also a test for me, a way of taking the Parisian temperature.
And I took it well
, he laughs
.
I am not disappointed.
It's a new weight class for me.
In heavyweight, I knew I was going to face big athletes, with a lot of talent and strength.
But I'm taking it step by step.
It's unheard of, a person who leaves the less than 80 kg to go to the heavyweights and who wins medals there.
So I'm already proud of this performance.
But the most important thing is to be on top for Paris 2024
”.
To please yourself
The multi-medalist at the African Championships and African Games, however, does not want to skip the stages before the next Olympic Games.
“
Already, you have to get results and win medals at Grands Prix like the one in Paris, score points, focus on the world rankings and try to qualify directly for the Olympics
,” he recalls.
The World Championships, scheduled for November 2022 in Guadalajara, are therefore his next target.
“
This is a very important event for me
, launches the interested party.
It's a competition I've never won.
I failed three times at the Worlds.
So it's very important for me to go to Mexico and win a medal there
”.
Without putting too much pressure on yourself.
“
Taekwondo is not just a sport or a job.
It's been my passion since I was little
, he smiles.
This is the secret of my victories.
I take this sport as a game. I enjoy every fight.
I have fun while working
”.
In Paris, in a little less than two years, Cheick Sallah Cissé hopes to have great pleasure under the majestic glass roof of the Grand Palais, the site where the taekwondo events will take place.
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