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“I make people bigger than they are, and not realise my potential, how good that I can be. I think once I get that killer mentality, (being) out for blood, I really can achieve even greater things than I have right now,” said Berthier, a three-time SEA Games gold medallist.
“Having coach Oleg as my coach, he tends to remind me not to have my expectations so low and he’s very wise. He helped me believe in myself because sometimes, I don’t give myself enough credit or I doubt my abilities.”
WITH ACHIEVEMENTS COME SACRIFICES
Berthier has a busy few months on the horizon ahead of this year’s Olympics.
On her calendar are three World Cups and the Asian Championships where good performances will help Berthier improve her world ranking and seeding in the women’s foil event at the Olympics. She is currently ranked world number 28.
On Thursday, Berthier told reporters that qualification for Paris was never the end goal.
“I went into the last one as a participant … first Olympics, nobody had ever qualified for Singapore. So it was a huge achievement for me,” she said.
“Now I’m grateful that I’ve qualified but that was not my goal, that was kind of the expectation which I set for myself … I want to go there as a contender instead of as a participant.”
Berthier secured her spot in Paris after finishing joint 20th in the women’s foil event at the International Fencing Federation (FIE) Grand Prix in Washington last month.
Based on the current qualification process, fencers from the world’s top four teams qualify directly for the Olympics. Fencers from the highest-ranking remaining team in each of FIE’s four zones – Europe, Asia-Oceania, America and Africa – also qualify.
Thereafter, the top individual fencers of the four zones who have not made the cut through the team category qualify for the Games. Berthier qualified under this category.
The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was a big learning experience for Singapore’s top fencer, and it has kept her wanting more.
“I’ve grown from the last Olympics mentally and just grown up in general,” she said.
“I left with a really good experience of being in the Olympics but not satisfied at all with my results knowing that I deserve to do better, I can be on that level.”
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