ACOG - News - IBM

(24 July 1996; Day 5)

Perserverance, Togetherness Pays Off for French Fencers

Like the muskateers of old, France's gold medal winning women's epee team is quick on the draw with their swords and finds strength in unity and togetherness.

``We are a very close team, we're solid together and if somebody is down, everyone is there to bring them up again," Valerie BARLOIS said after helping the team earn France's second gold medal of the fencing competition Wednesday at the Centennial Olympic Games. ``This is probably the secret of our success.''

In the afterglow of making history, BARLOIS took time to reflect on from whence she had come. The 27-year-old Parisian had just become part of the

first-ever Olympic gold medal winners in women's team epee. But the road to the top of the medal stand for her and her teammates was certainly not paved with gold.

``We went through many years when nothing was happening for us,'' BARLOIS recalled. ``Last year we got a taste of the medal (when the team finished second at the 1995 World Championships) and this year we're there.''

Three years BARLOIS' junior, Laura FLESSEL is perhaps the group's most gifted athlete. She captured the individual gold medal at these Games after finishing third at the World Championships a year ago. But the difference was far greater than just two steps on the podium at ceremony time.

``It is more than just the name that makes the difference between the a World Championship and the Olympic Games,'' FLESSEL said. ``They are the event in an athlete's life one doesn't want to miss.''

Sophie MORESSE-PICHOT is the senior member of the trio. At age 34, she is married and has a 7-year-old daughter, Justin. Discouraged after being eliminated in the preliminary rounds of the individual event Sunday, MORESSE-PICHOT was seriously contemplating giving up the sport on which she had spent the last seven years as a member of the national team.

``The night of the individuals I wanted to stop, but now I want to continue,'' she said. ``This is a major success which the team has worked towards for a very long time. Today it has been proven that the hard work was worth it.''

When MORESSE-PICHOT was at her lowest, her teammates were there to lift her up.

``They were very sweet and reconciled me,'' she said. ``They said let's go and get that gold medal together as a team.''

No place was that friendship and togetherness more obvious than in the team competition. Under new rules adopted by the FIE, fencing's international governing body, in team competition each of the three fencers competes head-to-head against each of the opponents' three fencers.

``The new rules for the team competition are just wonderful -- for the athletes as well as for the spectators,'' BARLOIS said. ``You really get the feeling that you're doing a team competition. Before everyone was just winning their own bouts -- now you can and have to fence for the team.

``Everyone fences for the others and the others fence for you as well. You have to try to work together and it creates a good team spirit,'' she said.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by MARK VINSON.


Return to Olympic News Menu

Select another day:
Pre July 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 August 1 2 3 4 Post


Olympic Factoid
An estimated 5.3 million visted Centennial Olympic Park between opening day - 13 July - and closing day - 4 August, making the park the most single most visited Olympic site during the Games.