Jessy Graillot, a young weightlifter from Dijon, is one of the great hopes of this sport dominated by the countries of the East, which has been waiting for a French Olympic champion since 1936.
–
Jessy Graillot, soon to be 18, is determined to lift mountains. The young man trains daily at Creps de Dijon. His progress has been constant since he lifted his first bars at the age of 10. “We come every day. We repeat the same movements to improve which each time means that we will be able to put on the extra kilo. So once we have found the faults and we manage to correct them, that go up alone. One day we are not going to say to ourselves ‘today, I will improve because I want to’. Every day, we want to improve “, explains the young man.
Jessy comes from a family of weightlifters, the Graillots, who set the bar very high. He trains with Vicky, his sister also in the French team, and his brother Steven, under the watchful eye of father and trainer Francois. Between them, complicity, laughter and especially competition are never far away.
Dijon: the Olympic Games in the sights of weightlifter Jessy Graillot
–
Vicky Graillot paved the way and is something of an example to follow. “I want to show him the requirement that it takes to achieve the requirement of the Olympic Games which is really very high, she explains. Afterwards, I think I can give him some advice but I won’t know how to guide him to the goal. It is my role as a big sister to encourage him. After that, I think I won’t be able to tell him what to do. ”
Los Angeles 2028 as a goal
It is already rubbing shoulders with the world top level and is aiming for Paris 2024. Jessy, for his part, is eyeing Los Angeles 2028. Already in the top 20 world junior in his category of less than 96 kg, Jessy has raised his records to 125 kg at the ‘snatch and 153 kg clean and jerk, two different techniques to master. “You really reach your peak in weightlifting between 28 and 30 years old, details coach Lucas Bardis. So from the moment he is 17 years old, he will continue to progress technically and physically. He still has a good margin of progress in front of him. “
So much work to believe in your dreams of the Games. But the other side of the coin is never far away, weightlifting, a sport yet historic is threatened with exclusion, caught in the trap of doping. “We are all fighting for this clean sport. So it’s hard to think that potentially there will be no weightlifting at the 2028 Games, says Jessy Graillot. But I prefer to keep hope. I am a fairly optimistic person. I continue to work as if there are no problems. “ Los Angeles would be the best place for a happy ending for Jessy.
–
Continue reading on these topics
–
–
