She came back after a 5-month injury in the Rabat K1 (April 19-21). 5th at the Istanbul SerieA in the wake, the five-time world champion, Alexandra Recchia of France, hopes to get a podium this coming weekend in China at the Shanghai K1.

By Florian Fournier / Photos : Kphotos

Tell us about the training camp with the French national team the Shanghai K1 ?

This is my second camp with the French national team since my comeback from my injury. The first one, before the Istanbul SerieA, was physically very intense, and the message from the staff at the end of it was that the next one would be just as complicated. So I was very apprehensive before this camp and, in the end, I felt great. I was in great shape and my automatisms have come back.
The content and atmosphere were very refreshing and it is important for us to live these moments. During this camp, we trained in real situations with fights reffing by national referees, the themes’ work was very precise and intense which really sharpened us for Shanghai.

How do you feel after two competitions since your comeback ?

In Rabat (Morocco), it was really a comeback competition where I had no particular expectation concerning result. I wanted to be released and find my bearings. Then, in Istanbul, I got pass the fear, even if I ranked 5th, I felt myself coming back to my true level. With Istanbul and the camp, I can say that I am really back. I will now have to confirm with results and it starts as soon as Shanghai.

After your 5th place in Istanbul, do you target the podium in Shanghai ?

Exactly. This would be the next logical step considering my feelings and my shape, a first place can also be possible. It would confirm the efforts made since my comeback.

Concerning the Olympic qualification, how do you see the future ?

I am clearly far in the ranking and it will be difficult to qualify for the Olympics in this way. To achieve it, I must win everything, or at least make a podium at every competition, and see Serap Ozcelik or Bettina Plank miss their season. A very low probability when you see that the podiums in my category are often the same.

However, there are other ways to get qualified for the Olympics. The qualifying tournament in Paris (May 2020) will be one of the great chances to get my ticket. But to succeed in this tournament, I have to show all the girls that I'm still here, ready to beat them all the way through the season as I did in my career.

Next year, will we see you on an European or World championship ? Or are you going to focus primarily on the Olympic qualification ?

I hope to compete in the European championships counting for the Olympic qualification, and they will surely be my last. If I qualify for the Olympic Games, this competition will be my last one. So, we can assume that my last World championships were those of Madrid.