"Bringing back a world champion title": taekwondo athlete Cyrian Ravet training with the French team in Saint-Raphaël

" Well, well done ." Cyrian Ravet (22 years old) revealed himself to the general public with this phrase during the Paris Olympic Games last summer.

While being interviewed on television, the Frenchman learned live that he had won the under 58kg medal, following the withdrawal of the Italian Vito Dell'Aquila, the defending champion, who injured his adductor muscle.

What followed was a spontaneous reaction that created a buzz and continues to do so today.

"I'm taking it well," laughs the man from the suburbs of Lyon. "You don't think of someone in my sport just by their performances. I think this phrase will stay with me for a long time, so I'm making the most of it. I was able to launch my clothing brand (quoting his statement) and a few projects."

Looking back, the resident of the French pole at INSEP does not regret the way he won this medal: "There are several ways of thinking. At first, I told myself that I would have liked to have one more fight, even if I had already beaten him. Or, you could think that I did a better job with my diet than him. It's our role to arrive with a fresh body. I don't regret anything. I take this medal with pleasure after three great fights."

"My goal is quite clear"

After this enchanting interlude, the triple European champion took a few vacations to spend time with his family.

"It's a long road to get to the Olympics ," he said. "You sacrifice a lot of family time, a part of your life. I was able to make them proud."

A moment that he prioritized instead of falling into the countless temptations surrounding the most legendary of competitions.

"Immediately after, I was approached by the media and other obligations," recalls the Asnières Elite member. "I made sure to skip these steps to get back to training and progress because I'm here to bring home a world champion title at the end of the year (from October 24 to 30 in Wuxi, China) and an Olympic title in Los Angeles (in 2028) . My objective is quite clear."

“A better version of myself from a year ago”

During these two weeks of training in July at Creps Paca in Boulouris ⁽¹⁾ , he achieved a 4/4 in test matches by having done thematic work during these fights against the best French or members of the Turkish national team, invited for the occasion.

"This training camp officially marks the beginning of preparation for the world championships," explains Yvan Frezouls, director of the French teams. "We held an intensive, high-quality training camp with lots of volume. For example, we made them do physical training before fights."

Studiously, Cyrian Ravet took advantage of the time between two fights to analyze his rounds on video: "I'm an improved version of myself from a year ago. (...) I haven't gotten too big a head. (...) I hope I've improved. I want to look further. I'm in a different category (-63kg) so I'm more myself and I can perform better."

"Everyone knows I can do it."

For the moment, his selection has not yet been validated by the Federation but, listed among the "eligible", he is therefore on the right track to try to get his first world medal: "Everyone knows that I can do it. I am going to correct things in the specific taekwondo. I have in mind what I need to do. Now I have to put it in place."

The next stop will be the Muju Grand Prix Challenge in South Korea, from August 28 to 31. A dress rehearsal in the land of taekwondo.

1. During this stay, the French Taekwondo Federation and the Creps Paca of Boulouris signed an agreement that binds them until 2028. Thus, they should continue their usual summer training courses in view of the big deadlines.