Returning on Thursday from a two-week internship in Japan with the France team, Clarisse Agbégnénou will not be lined up for the Grand Slam of Antalya in Turkey (March 31-April 2), although this had been envisaged, as for the other French women selected for the Worlds in Qatar (May 7-14 in Doha).
“Clarisse did a big internship in Japan, it was important to see her come back to this kind of training, appreciates Christophe Mina, the boss of the French women’s team. But she still needs to work physically. She melted during her pregnancy, which is normal. So Clarisse needs to do a block of physical work and won’t make the Antalya Grand Slam. »
The double Olympic champion (-63 kg and mixed teams) will then not compete before the Worlds? “No, but we can organize test-matches to put it in rhythm, when we are on internship at Temple-sur-Lot (Lot et Garonne)half April “, replies Mina.
New meeting next week to settle the supplier conflict
After giving birth to her daughter last June, Clarisse Agbégnénou resumed individual competition at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam on February 17. The five-time world champion finished seventh in -63 kg.
This recovery was marked by his refusal to wear the official judogi of the French team (Adidas) for the benefit of its personal partner (Mizuno). The Federation had therefore deprived her of a coach during the event. The discussions between the athlete, his entourage, the Federation and Adidas, having given nothing, the date of March 17 had been fixed in order to settle this dispute with a view to the Grand Slam of Antalya.
But as the judoka will ultimately not participate in this event, the deadline has been postponed to early April, a month before the Worlds. A meeting is scheduled for next week with Agbégnénou, his representative, the leaders of the Federation as well as those of the National Sports Agency (ANS), in order to find a way out of this conflict.