“I couldn't do it anymore, I was in tears”: Ugo Didier looks back on his struggle in his quest for gold at the Paralympic Games

Ugo Didier splashed everything in the Parisian pool this Thursday, August 29. MAXPPP – Andrew Matthews

Paralympic champion in the 400m freestyle (S9 category) this Thursday, August 29, Toulouse's Ugo Didier looked back on a perfect performance in the final.

How would you describe the emotions experienced during the Marseillaise, on the podium, for the only title you were missing ?

It was incredible. Three years ago, I finished second. Two years ago, last year, at the world championships, I finished second. I was a little fed up with these second places. The wheel turned. Bringing back this beautiful medal in front of the public, that's what I wanted. What I like about sport is experiencing emotions, sharing them with friends, family, people. That's what really got me going. It brings tears to my eyes. I am delighted to offer this first title to France.

You were very moved, indeed…

And I'm not used to it when it comes to swimming. I'm more moved by the moments I've experienced. What I'm experiencing is the complete opposite of Tokyo. There, I was stressed, far away. There, my adventure began with a lot of serenity. I was calm all day, not yesterday, not when I woke up, not when I took a nap.

“I didn't want to go to training, I was in tears”

You did the perfect race…

That was the race plan. We had planned exactly that. I changed my stroke in recent months, I tried to lengthen my stroke. Before, I used a lot of frequencies, that was my strong point. But I lacked power. And today I managed to put it together.

I had a complicated year, a catastrophic winter in terms of sport. Changing my swimming was very hard, it took a lot of time. I am very impatient, it frustrated me. We had problems in the pool, a little tendonitis came back in my shoulder, mentally I was no longer there… I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want to go to training, I was in tears. We found solutions, we questioned ourselves a lot.

The work finally paid off. It was a nod to those rotten times.

Were you tempted to come back earlier in the Italian wave ?

Our Italian friend (he passes behind just at that moment, smiling) is not at all used to leaving like that. He tends to hide. Today, he made a bet. I followed my road map and I felt like it was going to work.

Did you hear the crowd ?

At the beginning, before the race, it was unforgettable. And when I came back to the Italian, it boosted me. It clearly transcended me. In usual competitions, we are in front of 150-200 people. There, in front of 15,000 people, I have never experienced that and I know that I will never experience it again. I hope this will launch the French delegation.