Publicité:
A familiar face on the PWA World Tour, Brazil's Mateus Isaac has put his career on hold for the last two years in preparation for the Paris Olympics. 16th at the end of a week rich in intensity and emotion, he talks to Windsurfjournal.com about his participation in this iQFOiL event in Marseille...
Windsurfjournal.com: How would you describe this unique experience of taking part in the Olympic Games, and what are the highlights you will remember?
Mateus Isaac: It was an extraordinary experience! There are obviously some things I'll remember. Like unfurling my sail with the flag and the name of my country on it. Going out on the water and seeing the helicopter already filming, and the feeling of being a kind of celebrity, but that wasn't really the case at the end... It's a cycle that's coming to an end. It went by far too quickly. I can't believe that in 2020, I decided to take part in this Olympic class only to find myself here four years later.
WJ: What are the similarities, but also the big differences, with the PWA World Tour that you're used to taking part in?
MI: I think the only thing that's similar is that it's windsurfing, but everything else is different. All the rules and bureaucracy are crazy. We could only use the screws and washers provided. On top of that, the race committee was made up of at least ten people. Unfortunately, it didn't go as I expected. A number of things happened that weren't planned, and there were very few moments when I felt competitive during the event. I have the feeling that I could have done better. Now we have to accept that and move on...
WJ: This Olympic event in iQFOiL wasn't very lucky with the weather conditions... What sporting and personal lessons have you learned from this competition?
MI: Yes, we didn't have the best possible conditions, but in the end it was the same for everyone. I feel we could have done a lot more with the conditions we had. I learnt a lot of things during these six days of competition, things that I would never have learnt at a world championship or a PWA event. You get the impression that everything is a bit bigger and a bit more important, and that you're not alone in deciding and doing everything. The result of the Olympics certainly doesn't reflect the dedication, effort, and work I put into getting there. But there are some things that don't have much explanation, and if it were easy, it wouldn't be funny at all.
To find out more about Mateus Isaac: www.instagram.com/mateusisaac
Source: Mateus Isaac
Photos: Sailing Energy/iQFOiL Class
