In Santiago de Chili (October 23-27), France’s Gwendoline Philippe won her 3^rd World title in a row in the Youth categories. 5^th in the Olympic ranking, she can now serenely and fully devote herself to her ultimate dream : the Olympics. In Santiago, in very special daily conditions, between riots and tear gas due to the demonstrations, the young Frenchwoman had to find deep resources to win her 3^rd title.

By Florian Fournier / Photos: Kphotos

What is your feeling after this 3rd world title in the young categories ?

It is a relief. I wanted to finish on a high note for my last competition in young categories. It’s done. I am soothed and happy with this achievement. This is something that may seem easy from the outside, but staying ahead of the game is a lot of work and this title has not been so easy to win. With the particular conditions we all faced, winning this title is a very beautiful thing and a good base for building the future.

How was your competition? Have you managed to set up your game plan ?

My competition was really difficult. As soon as the warm-up, I had no sensation and a hint of doubt began to settle. Then, I thought back of the Dubai K1 that I won this year where, as soon as the warm-up, I felt nothing and I said to myself : “Let’s go Gwendo, you must go to war, you already have done it, you can do it again, even if it’s too bad that my physical condition is not good”.

And everything went well. Before the final, with Alexandre Biamonti, we decided not to warm up because my condition was not so good. So, I can say that I won this competition thanks to experience, which is a good thing.

But, I'm a karateka who likes to have fun and I would have liked to take more fun on the tatami but as my condition was not good, I won in another way. However, the taste of victory remains the same.

Did your status of favorite have an impact on you ?

I went through all the states. The days before the competition, my mindset varied between “I am the favorite, they will all fear me” and “you have no right to mistake, they know you, do not miss you”.

These 6 days were not easy to manage but, once on the mat, I emptied my mind. I did my karate, I took risks and I managed to be effective despite my lack of condition. In addition, as soon as I attacked, I scored a point. I was more and more confident and I turned this plus into a beautiful gold medal.

How was the daily life managed regarding the riots and the intervention of the army in Santiago ?

Our hotel was located in the heart of the events and it was impressive to see so many people in the street. During the day, it was almost impossible to move. We had to stay at the hotel. Only the competitors went to the stadium. The only free time we could have was in the morning for a little jogging. Almost everyone took the opportunity to do it, just to go out and get some fresh air.

In the evening, we were forbidden to go out as the tension became more palpable in the streets. We could hear detonations and sometimes we had to evacuate rooms to avoid tear gas that was dispersing and coming to us. These are pretty violent scenes but the staff of the French team managed us wonderfully and did everything to make us feel safe.

It was pretty frustrating not being able to go to the stadium supporting our teammates during the competition but, for the last day, everyone was able to come and it was great. I could celebrate my title with everyone.

Your next step ?

I am already focused on the Madrid K1 (Nov 29 - Dec 1^st). In the meantime, I will take advantage of this period to review my fundamentals and correct my weaknesses. Madrid will be the last big competition of 2019 and we must not miss it. From January, the pace will accelerate and we will no longer have the right to make mistakes, to win as many points as possible.