Q&A with Marie-Jose Perec: ‘200M gold at Atlanta was magical’

Bengaluru: There is an aura surrounding Marie-Jose Perec. It’s one of calm assurance that speaks volumes about a woman who lived her dream and is content, perhaps even slightly astonished, with what she has achieved in her career.

Despite calling time on her illustrious career, which saw her amass two world championship gold and three Olympic gold medals (including a double at Atlanta in 1996 where she won the 200M and 400M events), almost a decade ago, there are still echoes of the same grace with which she danced around the track earning her the nickname ‘The Gazelle’.

Here in Bengaluru as the International event ambassador for Sunday’s TCS World 10k run, the 47-year-old legendary French athlete spoke at length about issues ranging from her glory days to the landscape of current athletics and her wish to see most of all -- the temples in India -- on her maiden visit to the country.

Excerpts:

On her visit to India

During my career, I had many opportunities to come here but it never happened. I'm glad I'm here this time. It's a country I've been waiting to discover. Many people told me before that I didn't know what I was missing. Mostly, we all want to see the temples.

On her career journey

It's a nice accomplishment. I'm proud of it, considering where I came from, a small tiny country of only 450,000 people. I'm happy about it.

On her childhood

The only thing that I can say is that I always enjoy running. When I was 7-8, my house was behind my school. We had to go home for lunch. We used to have races in the lunch break on the bridge. I would eat very quickly and go, begging my mom to let me go. It's something that I just love. Years later someone discovered that I was born for that.

On her favourite medal

The 200M gold in Atlanta. It was not my specialty; I'm more a 400M runner. It was unexpected. In the heads of a lot of people, this was not something that was possible for me to do, especially when I had won an event before at the same Games. I was only the second woman in the world to do something like this. When I look back on it sometimes, I feel: "This wasn't true. This can't be you." It was incredible. It was a magic moment.

The 400M final in Atlanta

Actually, I was so confident. It's difficult to win gold medals in the same event in successive Olympic Games. But I was so well prepared that when I started that race I knew that I would win. It seems a little bit overconfident to think or say that but that day, that's the way I felt. "This race is done," I thought. I didn't even worry about it.

On her work with Champions of peace

We raise funds to help people. Two years ago I ran the New York marathon for Haiti. We raised money for education for the coaches in Haiti so that they can take care of the kids. It was very important for me because there are Haitians in Guadeloupe. They live and work there and I grew up with them. So for me to go and do such a thing, I felt like I had to do something because they are our neighbours, brothers and sisters, was just something normal.

On doping scandals tarnishing athletics

I don’t see it that way because what I like about track and field is that if you hear that someone has tested positive it is because they (federation) are doing their jobs and they are taking control. We are ambassadors for IAAF so we go and talk to the kids and tell them: “See he/(she) has done that. You should not do it and you can do this without taking drugs.” This is also an opportunity to teach them what is right and what is good.

On moving to East Germany to train

You don’t know how much I learned with Wolfgang Meier!! People did not understand at that time why I went there. For me I knew that these people did not only use drugs. These people, back then, had all the great coaches and this is why I chose to go there.
I always heard that Marita Koch, she was someone very talented and coached very well, and they said that this country was using drugs. So I decided to leave California and go to train in Rostock. But you cannot understand because we all have our own way of doing things. I think if Meier was in North pole, I would have gone there because I had decided that it was that person who should coach me to do what I wanted to do.

On her childhood aspirations

When I was a kid I was actually dreaming of traveling. I wanted to get out of my small island. But after I traveled all around the world, I realised that actually that tiny island was a paradise.

On controversially pulling out of 2000 Sydney Olympics

It's something that was so painful. I just put it behind me. I don't even want to talk about it. People just don't know how this was difficult for me. Many media in my country discovered a lot of things but they did not say anything. It was very hard. Sport should be joy, people meeting with each other. It should not be what I experienced.

What was so sad in it was that I found no one around me to help me. For many years it really hurt me. I explained once. I also made a documentary but I took time to do that. I did that two years ago, to tell you how this had a bad impact on me.