Audrey Merle, student and world champion
Suffering and tears... of joy. In 2015, Audrey Merle experienced every emotion. After narrowly avoiding a premature end to her season, the triathlete from the UFR STAPS ended the year with a world title. And she can continue to dream.
The images are undoubtedly still swirling around in her head: the cold waters of Lake Michigan, the hellish weather conditions in Chicago that day, that final stretch at the end of the race, and then the interminable wait for the photo finish verdict. On September 18, Audrey Merle won the World Triathlon Junior Championship title, beating her compatriot Léonie Périault, another great French hope in the discipline, by a few thousandths of a second. “I only understood five minutes later when they put the French flag on my shoulders.” she recalls. Arriving as the favorite, the young woman was able to overcome the pressure to win, at the age of 20, the greatest victory of her career. A career that could have come to an abrupt end last winter when health problems began to pile up.
Injuries
"I was losing weight because my body wasn't absorbing nutrients properly, I was suffering from fractures..." she lists . It took the UFR STAPS student several months to find the cause of her poor start to the season. The cause of her physical problems was finally identified last May: a "common" gluten intolerance. "At a high level, the body is such a precise machine that the slightest problem has huge repercussions," says Audrey Merle, who admits that she came close to giving up because the pain became so unbearable.
At a high level, the body is such a precise machine that the slightest problem has enormous repercussions.
That period is now a thing of the past for someone who is now racking up podium finishes on the elite circuit, where the sport's top riders compete. "The level is much higher, it's difficult to break away from the pack and the cycling is really fast. The arrival of the Americans a few years ago raised the level. It's a sport where weaknesses are no longer welcome," she sums up.
Olympic goal
Long overshadowed by the men's sport, women's triathlon is taking on a new, more professional image, a change driven by popular enthusiasm for this sport combining swimming, cycling, and running, which is experiencing record growth in the number of licensed athletes. To rise to the top, the Chamalières native from Puy de Dôme imposes iron discipline on herself. She trains for up to 28 hours a week, not counting her university studies, which she considers essential. Currently in her third year of a bachelor's degree, Audrey Merle would like to go into biomechanics research. Before this planned career change, however, she has other sporting goals to achieve.
There are many talented athletes, but mental strength is essential in such a competition.
But what else can a world champion dream of? The answer can be summed up in two letters: the Olympics. "It's a whole other dimension, with a huge psychological component," she says, aware that she still has room for improvement in this area. "There are lots of talented athletes, but mental strength is essential in a competition like this." Displaying impressive maturity at the age of 20, Audrey is certain that the 2016 Rio Olympics are coming a little too soon for her generation, which is more likely to compete in 2020. Nevertheless, the young woman continues to rack up points in international competitions in an attempt to secure an Olympic spot. So there's no pressure, but she undoubtedly has something in mind...