A year after his third Olympic coronation in Paris, Nafi Thiam presents himself with a found motivation. His trainer, Michael Van der Plaetsen, spoke on Saturday at the Belgian athletics championships on the post-Olympic management of his protégé: “I especially do not want to put too much pressure on him. After Paris, I did not want to start directly with the next objectives, because his flame would then have been quickly extinguished. I have to give him his time. »»
He continues: “It was good to stay twelve months without competition. Now she is very hungry again. And the shape is good too. It still lacks a little rhythm of competition. »»
Tokyo as the main objective of the season
While his participation in the prestigious meeting of Götzis in May had been mentioned, the option was finally dismissed. “We have planned to still make a heptathlon for the Worlds, but ultimately, it would have been too much,” said Van der Plaetsen. “If she has to stay in the form from May to September, it’s very hard, especially in a post-Olympic year. This is why we have chosen to bet everything on the Tokyo Worlds. »»
In Brussels, after winning the national leap title, Thiam confided in his state of mind as the Worlds approaches: “This year, I want to have fun without pressure or objectives (…) The last title that I still wanted was that of Paris. »»
What motivates her today? “Pass the 7,000-point mark,” she says. A major challenge: his personal record (7,013 points) dates back eight years, and the symbolic bar was recently exceeded by the American Anna Hall (7,032 points). Thiam, however, puts this competition into perspectives: “I am not trying to beat others. I never did it, and certainly not now. The exceptional form of Anna Hall has little impact on me, but it is a good thing that she has shown once again that it is possible to exceed 7,000 points. It gave me additional motivation. »»
What about the 2028 Olympics?
Asked about a possible retreat from the Belgian athlete, Michael Van Der Plaetsen remains cautious: “Nafi’s retirement is not yet fixed. We look at year after year. After the Tokyo Worlds, we will see if she still wants to do an additional year. For the moment, she has fun, so I think yes. »»
The Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 are not excluded, but no decision has yet been made: “Everything remains open”, concludes his coach.
