There are journalists looking for angles to cover the Paris 2024 Games, but Valentin Houinato isn't one of them. Since September 2023, this Radio France reporter has found the subject to follow for this event: himself. Almost every week on the France Inter channel, he shares his challenging preparation in the hope of qualifying for the Olympics. Each segment offers a three-minute dive into the soul of a judoka tormented by the challenge of a lifetime.
The 27-year-old, whose smile is more constant than his morale, speaks freely and confidently. Whether in his daily column – entitled "La Prépa" – or on the judo mats, Houinato talks openly about his emotions, state of mind and Africa, his other continent. Indeed, "Val" or "Valou," as he is known, grew up in the Seine-et-Marne region just east of Paris, which is his mother's country and his birthplace. However, since 2022, he has chosen to compete in the -81 kg category for his father's country, Benin. The French team was, for him, out of reach. "I think I was ranked 15th in France, but those selected [for the Olympics] are in the top five," he explained.
'I'm always overdrawn'
For Houinato, Benin is the memory of his childhood summer vacations. His hometown is Vendée, where his beloved grandparents live. Being binational offers him an unhoped-for chance to realize his ultimate dream. "I was in the stands at the 2012 London Olympics, I was ecstatic," he recalled. "For me, the goal was to make the Games first and foremost. If Luxembourg had offered me something, I would have gone too. All I can think about is Paris, the opening ceremony, my grandparents watching France 2. That's all I envision."
For now, the journey to the temporary Grand Palais, where the judo events will be held from July 27 to August 3, is testing. "I just wanted to share my daily life. As it happens, there are a lot of struggles, so I'm talking about a lot of struggles," he stressed.
How can one disagree? The life of a freelance journalist and a top-level athlete don't mix. It's hard to be available to keep up with the news and train relentlessly at the same time. "I keep working because I have to pay the rent," he explained. The rent, but also his mental trainer, psychomotricity classes, Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes (to improve his ground skills), kimonos (€150 each), plane tickets and hotel nights. "I'm always overdrawn," he admitted.
To save on travel costs, Houinato often takes flights with several stopovers when he travels to Cameroon or Qatar for international tournaments (12 since his debut with Benin) or training camps in Tokyo. "Three or four times," he has slept in airports. The Benin Judo Federation doesn't always have the means to support him. Traveling in Africa has a cost, and not just financially. Managing sometimes poorly organized competitions is also part of the challenge.
'I've been walking on a tightrope for months'
"The cabs are late. You're told 'there's no restaurant tonight, you'll eat tomorrow,'" he continued. "You're dealing with people who don't understand what high level means." A matter of resources? He got carried away: "Cleaning a room is not a question of resources. I could have thrown away my white judo gi after the Niger Open, it was beyond repair. Sometimes, it's not professional. For example, you see someone 100 grams overweight at a weigh-in, and you hear the official say 'it's not serious.' And later, you learn that they're from the same country." However, the judoka firmly disputed that it would be easier to compete in Africa: "The level is very high, there's potential, and we can do better."
For over a year, Houinato has been juggling work, training and tournaments without a coach to help him, dealing with injuries and struggling to find money – all on his own. He has a small sponsor and has launched an online fundraising campaign. All this exhausts him physically and mentally, sometimes to the point of bringing him to tears. A doctor told him he was suffering from "cognitive overload" and prescribed antidepressants. "My aim is not to crack," he admitted. "I've been walking a tightrope for months, and it's got to hold until July 30 [the date of his test]."
Houinato is determined to hang on: Ranked 70th in the world in his category, he is "currently qualified for the Games," he claimed. But he won't know until June 23, when the qualification period ends, whether he will be participating in the Paris 2024 Games.