Fencing, the returned Cécilia Berder has big ambitions for the Paris Olympics

Cécilia Berder had put her career on hold for a good reason. She became the mother of a little girl in May 2022. But a tragedy overtook her a few months later, the death of her own mother. “It’s overwhelming, you understand what life is, what death is in a few months. Today I am not at all the same as I was in Tokyo.”

“I want to put more smiles and passion into it”

Tokyo Games where the tricolor sabreuse won the team’s silver medal. Cécilia Berder is also world and European champion, and today she has a huge challenge in front of her: to get back to her best level for the Paris Games, her third Olympiad. “It will be different from what I experienced in Rio and Tokyo”she continues, “I want to put even more smiles, passion, self-sacrifice into it and include all the people who want to follow me, to surround myself with people who have an optimistic nature. I will take all the good energies. Today it might be a little pretentious , but I have the maturity to tell myself that I can handle less positive things. It will be this cocktail of optimism, smiles and enthusiasm that makes it a great experience.”

A great saber team for women

Cécilia Berder will participate in the individual saber, but also in the team event with a French team with a very strong collective, with Sara Balzer, world number 1 and Manon Brunet world number 4.