Clarisse Agbegnenou brought home the first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in judo. Much more than a high-level athlete, she is also a student at HEC, in Executive Education. Discover his journey.
A gold medal so coveted by Clarisse Agbegnenou
Clarisse Agbegnenou has finally achieved her dream: that of winning Olympic gold. The French judoka won the final in less than 63 kg against the Slovenian Tina Trstenjak and was awarded her first Olympic title in Tokyo. ” Finally ! I don’t believe it! I was on a mission to get this gold medal, it wasn’t easy. I don’t even have the words…”, declared the Olympic champion.
During the last edition of the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, Clarisse Agbegnenou only managed to win the silver medal. She then set herself the goal of winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Since 2016, the 28-year-old sportswoman has won four world titles, the last in June in Budapest. That’s when she said she wanted to stop everything after the announcement that the Tokyo Olympics had been postponed for a year. “It was very difficult, very, very hard. I never thought I would be this low, in my life, in my career. I almost wanted to stop everything, I was there. »
She therefore made the right decision to hold on to her dreams and give everything during these Olympic Games. It is with great emotion that she declares: “I don’t even know what I did anymore [comme mouvement pour l’emporter]. It was too much emotion. She is magnificent! When I saw them in photos, I told myself that I absolutely needed one. She is so beautiful, she shines so much… I am proud. »
Clarisse Agbegnenou: a stint on TV which led to studies at HEC Paris
Clarisse Agbegnenou participated in the France 2 show Take care of yourself, with Michel Cymes. It was an opportunity for her community to discover her from a new angle and in a setting that goes beyond social networks. “People saw that I could coach, bring things into people’s lives, a little good humor, health, sport. I was offered this show, I said to myself that it could be a good thing for me. Life coach, that’s what I want to do later. So, it can get me started a little, bring me a lot of things,” she confides to The Team.
This appearance on television was decisive for Clarisse Agbegnenou. In October 2020, she began her studies as a life coach at HEC Paris. “I hope it will be a year where I can combine the two, judo and studies. It matters to me. A year where we need to clear our heads, to not just do judo. As this is what I want to do, I tell myself that I have to give myself the means. » she continues.
