Trampoline | The “adrenaline bug” won bronze

(Paris) What better time than an Olympic final to achieve the “performance of a lifetime”? Sophiane Méthot rose to the challenge on Friday on the trampoline at the Arena Bercy. So much so, that she won a nice bronze medal.

Méthot had finished the qualifications in 8^e place, narrowly reaching the final. In this final round, each trampolinist had only one routine to perform. In other words: it was either make or break.

The Quebecer was the sixth of eight athletes to go through. Before setting foot on the trampoline, she did what she always does: she stopped, took a moment to enter her bubble. Her mentality? “I have nothing to lose.”

And that’s what she did. She delivered a stunning performance, earning her a score of 55.650. She placed second provisionally with two gymnasts still to go.

“I’m an adrenaline bug,” she said, explaining her dazzling performance. “I love stress. Good stress, though.” […] When I’m put against the wall, like in the final, that’s often when I produce the best performances of my life.”

The native of Varennes, who herself couldn’t believe it when she got off the platform, places this routine in her ” top 10 of [ses] best routines ever.” Nothing less. “To come here, under pressure, with all this big crowd, the cameras, at my first Games… It was really extraordinary for me.”

Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya, a neutral individual athlete, later overtook her. But the last gymnast to perform, China’s Yicheng Hu, fell heavily during her routine. As one man’s misfortune often makes another man’s gain, Méthot had officially become an Olympic bronze medalist.

In the mixed zone, about thirty minutes later, she was proudly wearing her new necklace.

“Honestly, I don’t realize it yet. It’s like surreal. […] It was truly a performance on demand, as I do so well. For me, it was truly an incredible moment and I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

Mental blocks

This “performance on demand” is all the more impressive given that Méthot went through a number of challenges to reach this podium.

Like American star Simone Biles, the Quebecer had to deal with mental blocks several years ago.

“It happened several times, not just once,” she said. “My head had a hold on my body, it was telling me things I didn’t necessarily want to do. It’s like I lost control of myself, my head, my body.”

She found herself “at rock bottom”, unable to get on a trampoline.

Méthot sought the help she needed; she underwent hypnosis and consulted several psychologists.

“I just equipped myself, I did a lot of visualization, meditation. It’s really a lot of resources around me that I used to get through it,” said the dynamic 25-year-old woman.

Even to this day, she sometimes has a flash, like “a little worm” that passes through her head. “But I am so equipped today that I can get through it without any problem.”

The trampolinist has had a “roller coaster” career. In 2018, she was 56^e in the world individually. In 2021, she was 16^e and in 2022, 24^eAt the Tokyo Games, she was a reserve, but injured.

“I couldn’t even get on a trampoline or jump anymore. I had doubts, anxieties, fears. Four years later, I found myself on a trampoline, with a medal around my neck.”

Méthot could have given up. She preferred to equip herself. To keep pushing. “There are so many people who are there for us, to help us, to equip us around us. That’s what I did the last four years to get to the level I am at. I am very proud to have gone through all these trials to get here today.”

Dad’s words

On Friday, Sophiane Méthot had her entire clan in the stands at Bercy; parents, brother, partner, niece, friends… It was while listing her loved ones that she recalled a message from her father the day before: “Have fun, go do what you love.”

“That’s exactly what I did,” she added with a smile.

As a bonus, she won a medal which will soon be hung in her living room, so she can “look at it every day”.

Until it’s hung on the wall, she plans to keep it as close to her as possible… “I’m going to want to keep it on me for a bit, maybe sleep with it tonight.”