It is 6:58 p.m. in the Stadio del Nuoto in Rome, Friday August 12, when Yohann Ndoye Brouard is about to start his semi-final of the European 200 meter backstroke championships, of which he is one of the favorites. But when the race starts, the mechanism of his footrest breaks. The Frenchman is then thrown into the void when all his competitors have already launched the battle. The incident takes place a little over a year after his misadventure at the Tokyo Games, where he hit the wall during the 100-meter backstroke heats.
As taken aback, the Habs try to resurface. Stoic, a few meters from the starting point, he looks in front of him, trying to understand. The other swimmers continue their race. He attends, helpless. He fears elimination, while he was competing for the podium, at least, for the gold, at best.
Let’s rewind. A little before 10 a.m., the resident of Insep arrives for the series of the event. A platinum blonde dye has replaced her charcoal-colored curls to do like Sasha Zhoya, the nugget of French athletics, specialist in the 110-meter hurdles. “VShas allows him to run fast so I wanted to try. VSit doesn’t hurt too much“, explains the giant, laughing. On the track, we don’t know, but in the water, the Frenchman is well and truly on his feet. The Savoyard slams a time of 1’56″70, six tenths from his French record. He sets the best time in the series. The tone is set.
Without the Russian Evgeny Rylov, only the Briton Luke Greenbank constitutes the major obstacle for the final victory. But tested after the Commonwealth Games which ended a week ago, the reigning vice-world champion sticks out his tongue. The other Frenchman, Mewen Tomac, can also dream. He is right next to Yohann Ndoye Brouard in the semi-finals, at lanes 4 and 5, those of the best times.
But the trend completely changes within minutes. There is of course the fall of Ndoye Brouard. The Picard, he started normally but, perhaps disturbed by the absence of his compatriot right next to him, he only finished fourth, qualifying in extremis for the final.
On the side of Yohann Ndoye Brouard, it is the beginning of a long wait. Quickly out of the water, Michel Chrétien’s protege put on his tracksuit to stay warm. “It was an emotional lift. As soon as it broke, I said to myself that, even if it means being disqualified, I shouldn’t force myself, that I shouldn’t make a ripple. I came out direct. I had to let go of my pressure.“
It remains to wait for the decision of the organization. Will he get a second chance? He doesn’t fully believe it.
“I said to myself: ‘It’s dead, they’re not going to make me go back’. I had tears that came to my eyes.”
Yohann Ndoye Brouard, French swimmerat franceinfo: sport
As he requests it, he is finally allowed to swim again. Here he is alone in the pool, two hours after his initial semi-final.
The curiosity of the spectators means that the stands have not been deserted when he sets off in his delayed race, after the long succession of official ceremonies. With a public all committed to his cause, the French let go. “I wasn’t really alone in this race, it even surprised me [de voir le public]. It gave me strength and I had an adrenaline rush before I left.“
With a time of 1’56″39, the Frenchman is not content with just securing. He sets a better time than in the series and is only three tenths off his French record. Only the Swiss Roman Mityukov makes better than him (1’56″22). “What adventures!”, blows the person concerned, who still shows how much he knows how to show resilience. He can now look forward to this 200m backstroke final, scheduled for Saturday, with a light mind. If he leaves his bad luck at the bottom of the hold…