Inside with Brett Hawke #417 French Sprinter Marie Wattel on Injury, Olympic Pressure, & Her Move to ASU
Marie Wattel, a French Olympian and world-class sprinter, opens up about the challenges she faced in the past year, including a devastating knee injury during her Olympic preparation. She discusses the mental and physical toll of chasing perfection, her decision to move to the States to train at Arizona State University (ASU) under Herbie Behm, and her fresh perspective on competition, swimming, and personal growth.
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0:00 - Hello Marie Wattel! 0:22 - The Knee Injury That Changed Everything 1:58 - The Moment It Happened: "I Heard the Noise and I Knew" 2:32 - Olympic Pressure & How It Broke Her Body 5:15 - Learning to Listen to Her Body Again 5:32 - "Not Winning an Olympic Medal Didn’t Change Who I Am" 6:05 - Why She’s Still Swimming: A New Purpose 7:19 - Why She Chose ASU & Herbie Behm 8:35 - Almost Moving to Australia & Mel Marshall’s Advice 10:10 - Training Background: From France to the UK & Marseille 12:28 - What Each Training Environment Taught Her 13:05 - Losing Her Longtime Coach & What’s Next 14:15 - How Team France Performed at the Paris Olympics 15:47 - The Flo Manadou Comeback: A Forgotten Highlight? 16:33 - Moving to America: What She’s Expecting 17:52 - What U.S. Training Does Differently Than France 18:42 - Strengths & Weaknesses: What She Needs to Improve 19:42 - Body Image as a Female Sprinter & Comparing to Other Swimmers 22:31 - How Emma McKeon & Sarah Sjöström Inspire Her 23:20 - The French Swimming Federation’s Response to Her Move 24:35 - The One Swimmer She’s Grateful She Got to Race 25:18 - What Makes Sarah Sjöström So Special? 26:15 - Personal Best Times & Breaking Major Barriers 27:14 - Pre-Race Superstitions: Music & French Rap 27:48 - Favorite French Rapper: Jul from Marseille 28:03 - Favorite Sprint Workout: "10x25 Max on 3 Minutes!" 28:40 - If She Could Change One Swimming Rule… No More Underwaters? 29:25 - The Gretchen Walsh Effect: Mastering Underwaters 30:18 - Studying Footage of Gretchen Walsh & Léon Marchand 30:35 - The Surgery Process & When She Plans to Race Again 31:37 - Moving to ASU: When She Arrives & First Training Plans 32:15 - Plan for French Nationals & World Championships 32:57 - Final Thoughts: "Sometimes the Best Things Happen When You Least Expect It" 33:14 - Outro & Good Luck Message