“I am not disappointed, but I want to apologize to my fellow Senegalese”

Could you tell Senegalese a little more about yourself?

My name is Mathieu Ousmane Say. I have been with the Senegalese team for six years. At the beginning, I swam a bit of an amateur. I started in 2021 with the goal of the Olympics in my head. I have improved a lot. I have been training mainly in France; I did some internships abroad. I started to go back to Senegal because my family is there. Next year, I will start my seventh year and we will go from strength to strength. I was born in Martinique, grew up there and came to France when I was 5 years old. My father is Senegalese, he is from Saint-Louis, and my mother is French. I grew up in a bicultural environment. I have a deep relationship with Senegal and I am very close to my family there.

For your first Olympic Games, you were eliminated in the series. Were you disappointed?

It’s not far from my personal best. I think at the end, emotions got the better of me. But I’m not disappointed with my race. I apologize to my fellow Senegalese for not making the semifinals. I promise them that they will continue to work hard to reach the top of the world next season. And in 2028, try to get on the podium. I think I have what it takes; it just takes a lot of work and experience.

Do you have any idea what those games will look like? How are you planning to work towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?

This season was my first time running a 100m race; I was probably around 200. I’ve made huge progress this season and I think we need to start taking this race seriously now. I know I still have room for improvement in this area, in my technique and in my speed. The top of the world is within reach and we have to keep working on it.

Is the 100m freestyle your favourite event?

Basically, absolutely nothing! I was about 200, on my back. This season, I noticed that this is the race where I get more points, even if I don’t have enough points to reach the minimum standard, because I’m here by invitation. It’s not my basic specialty, and I’ll keep working hard to get to the minimum requirement for next season, finals, and why not be on the podium and hold the flag high.

What is the overall level of the exam?

This is the highest level competition. That’s why it’s called the Queen’s Test. I have to be honest with myself, I work for… I won’t tell myself I have time. As soon as I come back from this break and vacation, I will start immediately. My goal for next season is to reach the semi-finals.

Which activity will you focus on in 2028?

For now, I will continue with the 100m freestyle. After that, I will not limit myself to one event. You see, Léon Marchand (French swimmer who competes in 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly and 400m freestyle, editor’s note) is doing well almost everywhere. Obviously, my goal is to do well in all swimming events and see what the future holds for me.

How is your preparation going?

This year the Federation sent me to the FINA center in Antibes in the south of France, where I trained with Frédéric Vergnon, a famous coach of several Olympic champions. It was very difficult for me at the beginning because it was the first time I trained in a high-level structure.

However, I learned a lot. I was only there for one year, but by continuing with that momentum, there is a way to find something. It is really an opportunity to thank my federation and I am always happy to represent Senegal.

What do you remember about the first Olympic Games?

The words that come to mind are emotion and management. It means I’m really starting to understand myself. I’m really proud to be able to participate. 15,000 people is crazy. When you arrive and see all this energy, you have to know how to ignore it. It’s hard, I’m not going to lie to you. This is the reality at the top, and the best people are able to use this energy to become number one. So, I’ll learn in the future and I’ll be happy to participate.

Besides swimming, what do you do for a living?

I have a degree in STAPS (Science and Technology of Physical and Physical Activity) and next year I will be attending Sciences Po in Paris, so this is learning and I hope to be able to train in the United States in the future, with the best, because that’s how I can really improve. I hope that next year I will have the diploma to do that.

I don’t think the French

I don’t feel French at all, I won’t lie to you, I represent Senegal and I’m very proud of it. I saw my family in the stands cheering me on. It’s great that they can come. What really touched me was all the messages of support I received from the Senegalese people before the game. It was incredible. I didn’t expect so many people to be behind us. I’m happy to have been able to learn something about this sport. We have to continue because there are a lot of talents in Senegal. I don’t want it to be just football, that’s good, but we need to develop other sports. Yves Bourchis proved on Monday what he can do, he reached the final in the canoe. Today, from what I understand from the new sports policy of the government, we have this impetus, we can really develop sports. Senegal is a country that lives by the sea, there should be a lot of talent. Young people can’t stop. If in the future I can make people dream on TV to become African champions, that’s my goal, to be able to develop a swimming federation. It’s very important to know how to swim today because people die from drowning. I really want to encourage everyone to start, whether amateur or professional. We really need to make people dream.

Olympic swimming pool closed

Honestly, it’s a shame, and this is a problem I was told recently. I was told that in Senegal, all young people stopped swimming because the Olympic pool was closed. It’s a shame that the next Youth Olympic Games are in Dakar. We don’t have to be just football or basketball. There must be other sports too. If I can bring energy to the people of Senegal, I will be the happiest person in the world.

wiwwsport.com