Carlos Llavador’s Olympic call

“It was crazy. When the pre-Olympic was over I had given up any hope of going to Parisalthough I know I have the highest rank among those out there,” he began Carlos Lavador. Last April the fencing pre-Olympic competition was held. In the foil modality, Llavador, European bronze in 2015 and world bronze in 2018 and new ambassador of the ‘Le Coq Sportif’ brand, fell in T8, a round equivalent to the quarterfinals, in last competition to distribute Olympic tickets for the Games. In particular, onewhich disappeared after also being on the verge of achieving it through ranking.

A few days before, the classification of the world was closed, to leave Carlos is just one place away from the Olympic passport. His only option to end up in Paris depends on the reassignment of a place. “It’s a Friday and The president of the Federation called me to tell me that on July 29 I had to attend an event. I was just thinking about what I could do to escape.Llavador said laughing. Then he realized: that was the date on which the foil competition was scheduled at the Paris Games. “I had to wait three days until they officially confirmed my place. I never stopped thinking about it. I just told my parents and my girlfriend,” he recalled with a laugh.

But the long-awaited email arrived. Carlos Llavador will be an Olympian in Paris for the second time in his career. Three years ago he fell to T32 (round of 32) in Tokyo. “When the Olympic Qualifiers ended and I didn’t get a place, I didn’t think about the Games anymore. I have the remaining competitions in Asia and the European Championship and the goal is to try to close the best season of my life well,” he explained. “The truth is that it was destroyed. I finished third in one of those competitions and you’re happy for it, but sad because I didn’t qualify. So going to the Games makes this season even better,” he said with a laugh.

It’s not just a season. Getting to a few more Games means a lot to Llavador for the future. “They changed my life. Not qualifying meant I would have been left without scholarships in April, already I should have considered it next year. At my age (32 years old), I can’t do it for free, but I should think more about sport if there is no other option,” he explained. “Now I have peace of mind for the future and to face the final stage of preparation with the goal of achieving a result,” he added.

Olympic qualification is key for him to give himself a chance to continue in his sport, as his Olympic scholarship ends in April. “If I continue, it will be to do it to the maximum. I need some conditions, to train with a strong group, traveling to competitions and having a salary that allows me to dedicate myself only to fencing,” explained Llavador. “Without those conditions, of course I thought about leaving,” he admitted.

Sponsors, such as ‘Le Coq Sportif’, play an important role in its preparation. “This is a selective sport that involves being able to travel, being able to train, being able to buy equipment. Having support is essential to have these methods. But, most of all, because it makes you feel appreciated”explained Carlos.

Travel to Italy for a dream

With the support available to him, Llavador found the ideal conditions to prepare for Italian city of Frascati, about twenty kilometers from Rome. There he trains with groups of professional fencers who, within the Italian sports system, are workers of the state because they belong to the military establishment. “They have their salary and this indicates more professionalization, the ability to train in the morning and in the afternoon. That makes the level very high and makes them a reference country. They have more than a hundred Olympic medals in fencing, a structure that works and a very good school to enrich it,” Llavador praises the transalpine country. The contrast, to some extent, hurts. “In Italy they learn things at eight years old that I learned when I arrived. On a technical level I look good, but not on a tactical level,” Carlos explained those differences.

That was the part that worked the most all this time. “The good thing is that in Italy the technical and tactical aspects are taught together”, Explain. “We do certain movements, without clothes fences. Of movements of the feet to be guarded, of movements to maintain the point of gravity, of coordination,” he said of his daily life. “We also do a kind of training with the teacher where he sets goals for you while varying distances, times, counterattacks. These are problems that are presented to you and you must solve for each stimulus,” he says of the training method he follows.

It evolved into him. “I’m better than in previous years in terms of consistency. I had many peaks, with very good competitions in some cases and rookie failures in others. He has the ability to make tactical problems in the strategy at specific moments, but you pay for it in the long run, “reflects Carlos. For this reason, improving its tactical aspect has been the main goal for some Weather today. “Now, my level is more regular”account.

He spent the 2015-2016 season in Italy, but settled there in 2018. “Missed Spain, but it was exciting to get out and meet people. I train in a club full of Olympic champions, with a teacher who is very involved“, Explanation. “It is true that now the sentimental issue weighs more because we miss the family, so I try to disconnect from Spain one week a month,” he said.

Although there is no longer any disconnection. In one month, Llavador will repeat his Olympic dream in Paris. “From Tokyo I learned that you have to enjoy yourself. They were very strange Games with the theme of the coronavirus, with constant stress, with the fear of having too much contact with other people,” he remembers. “I was left with the feeling that my whole life I fought to go to the Games and that they are unique, so now I want to enjoy them,” he explained. Of course, without forgetting the sporting goal, the big priority. “When you qualify for Europe there is you’re options for everyone, because it’s hard to do and for that you need medals at the World Cups,” said Carlos.

He is ready to be a reference for Spanish fencing in Paris, where the team of Lucía Martín-Portugués also wants to be famous in the saber. Spanish shooters have experienced a noticeable improvement in recent years after difficult times, as seen a few days ago in the European Championship. “Tokyo was the turning point for us to break the bad streak, to see that we can be there and achieve results”, explained Llavador. “Since this classification system was launched we have not been to the Games and now we will be two,” he commented.

This is a sign of the progress that Spanish fencing wants to continue. What is not clear to Carlos is whether, after Paris, he will be able to join the team. “It depends, because I think season by season,” he explained. “Ultimately this sport is a war with referees that requires a lot of patience and a lot of desire to want to practice it,” he reflected.. “As long as I have motivation, I will continue. I will leave it as soon as I see that I cannot dedicate myself to it one hundred percent,” he commented.

Now is not the time for this. There is still one month left to speed up Olympic preparations. There was no other focus but Paris. Because the fate that did not give him a place in the pre-Olympic gave Carlos Llavador a very difficult option to participate in the Games again. He has been waiting for weeks for the long-awaited Olympic call. Now feel ready to respond to it in Paris.