Written by Trackandmemes, February 7, 2022
My name is Laureen Ouceni. I am 19 years old. I am a member of the club Saint-Denis Emotion in France. I train just below the stade de France. In winter 2021 I was vice-champion of France on 400m. In the summer, I won second place at the French Championships in the 200m and I was third in the 400m discipline. I also had the second best French performance in the junior 400m.
Today you are a confirmed athlete, just like your brother, Ludovic Ouceni... you train at the INSEP in France, but the rest of your family is in Martinique? How do you manage to maintain your relationship with your family?
I train mainly in Saint-Denis, a French city, but two days a week I go to the INSEP. In 2024, when the Games will take place, my stadium will be the warm-up track.
I have family in Martinique and Reunion. Here in France, I don't have much family. My mom and dad are with us, but the rest of the family lives in the islands. I only go back there for vacations.
My mom comes to all our competitions. My brother also tries to come when he can. Last year, we were in Marseille, in the south of France. It was a 3 hour train ride and a 7 hour drive to come see me race, and they still came to see me race at the French Championships.
on the networks, you had mentioned the fact of returning to the meeting to recharge your batteries...?
Yes, I went back to Reunion Island because last year, the summer season exhausted me. Physically and mentally, I had no strength left. I ran too much during the competition period.
In fact, my coach and I were aiming for the European Championships. The minimums were 53.00, which is quite hard to reach... We said to ourselves that we would first get closer to the minimums, because it would be complicated to do them in such a short time. I ran every weekend to gain a few hundredths... I did more or less ten 400 meters in two months. I finished the season with a performance of 54.80. With this time, I was far from the minimum. If you look at the French record, the first ranked athlete is an athlete who did 54.20, so she was taken for the European Championships. I was hoping to be taken if a relay was organized, but it was not the case.
I ran so much that I arrived at the French Championships without strength. The 400 meters is a discipline where you need juice, and after running so many races, I didn't have any for the nationals.
last season you had some remarkable performances. in particular your title in the 200 and 400m. did you expect this because of the preparation you had in your legs?
In the 400 meters, I was expecting better. I wanted to do a better performance, but with the preparation and the series of races, I told myself that it was logical that I was a little tired. I still took the medal so it's not a big deal. It's still a title.
In the 200-meter race, I came onto the track with a spirit of fun. I especially wanted to have fun. In the end, I passed the heats where I was the last to be drafted. I told myself that the next day, for the final, I would have fun. When I came out of the starting blocks in lane 8, I came out of the turn in third place. And then I fought even harder, and moved into second place. I was so close to winning the gold medal. Honestly, it was the best race. I took the bronze, but in my head I was the one who won the race.
I think that on 400 meters I had too much pressure, so the next day I focused on having fun. The 200 meters was not my discipline so I had nothing to lose, and I left with a medal. By the way, I am originally a half-dozer.
you told me, "this year I'm giving it my all. In all aspects, including nutrition." Did you stick to it? What has changed compared to the Laureen of before?
I try to tell myself that the workout is not over when we leave the track or the stadium. Until I do my recovery food, hydration, massage... The training is not over.
I didn't change much in terms of my diet, because I already had a good base. I just added things to my routine, like food supplements. But I always ate as much fruit, vegetables ... However, I reduced snacking, or I try to replace it with more "sporty" snacks.
But the most complicated is after the training, when you are tired and you still have to recover. Even eating sometimes you don't have the strength.
My brother Ludovic has a nutritionist. I don't have one, but food is not a real problem for me. My real struggle would be more with sleep. I sleep late. In fact, after training, once I've showered, I'm awake. And I start wanting to do a lot of things. Maybe I need to get more tired at practice.
What inspires you? Whether it is in sports or in everyday life?
I love sports. But I think the person who inspires me is my brother, Ludovic. He's a person I'm around all the time. Seeing him evolve every day... I tell myself that if he could do it, I can do it. Besides, it's genetic.
I also watch a lot of reports on former athletes, and I try to take a quote from each of them to progress to my own person.
I enjoy track and field, but I have a hard time watching it on TV, or going to meets, if I don't know the people who perform there. I would be more interested in basketball, for example. I can watch the NBA at 3 a.m. with great passion. But athletics is a big part of my life so I need to see something else.
I would like to work in the follow-up of a sportsman, but without being on the field, like the profession of nutritionist or mental trainer.
What are you aiming for this year?
This year, I will focus on the summer season. This winter, I want to get back to the basics and encourage my brother and my training group. I also want to have fun again, because without that it's more complicated to train. For this summer, I hope to be taken for the Mediterranean Games. In any case, I would like to be selected for the French team. But if I can enter the A relay for the 4x400m at the European Championship, it would be a great pleasure.
Honestly, I don't give myself a goal regarding the time, because it's a parameter you can't really manage. With the wind, the rain... The only objective I give myself is to win each race. So apart from doing the minimums, I don't set myself too many objectives.
Sometimes you can have a great race, but the clock is not there because the time was not there either.
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