She never stopped training, and that’s what kept her going. Despite her suspension for doping in November 2019, Ophélie Claude-Boxberger, multiple athletics champion from Montbéliard, continued to run daily. ” At first it was very difficult. I lost 10 kilos. But my entourage encouraged me to resume training, it was my passion, and it helped me to hold on », Says the 33-year-old athlete.
These two years of suspension were difficult for the young woman. In addition to being convicted of doping, she was on trial against her stepfather, also her former trainer. The latter was suspected of having doped him without his knowledge. He was released by the Montbéliard court in September.
Objective JO 2024
The athlete now wants to move forward, and concentrate on his race. ” I chose the 10km of Colmar for my recovery, because I have been used to running the 10km since I was young », Smiles Ophélie Boxberger. She doesn’t put pressure on herself for this competition. ” I go there mainly to have fun again, to assess my level a little She smiles. But she keeps in mind her future goals: to prepare and qualify for the European Athletics Championships next summer in Munich, as well as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games..
“We are delighted that Ophélie Boxberger is resuming competition, it is a reference in the sporting world of the Pays de Montbéliard”, Jean André, vice-president of the agglomeration of the Pays de Montbéliard.
During these two years of suspension, the athlete lost the subsidies of the agglomeration of the country of Montbéliard. If it has not yet looked into the question of finding them, the agglomeration, it sees no problem. ” She has served her sentence, it’s over now. We are delighted that she is returning to competition, and we hope that she will return to her previous level, because Ophélie Boxberger is a reference in the sporting world of the country of Montbéliard, in particular for the children of our neighborhoods », Explains Jean André, vice-president of aglomeration.
It is up to Ophélie Boxberger to make the request, then to wait for validation from the French athletics federation.