10 questions to Djyvens Platel

Hello everyone, I hope you are well 🥰. Today I find you with a new personality. It's Winter Olympics month and I'm bringing you a fellow athlete playing in Russia. Djyvens Platel, who fell in love with athletics at university, can no longer break away from the track. Between times, surpassing himself and medals, he shares with you the backstage of his life and his pride.

My name is Djyvens Lee M. Platel, born October 15, 2001 in Haiti. Today, I live in Russia where I am a student at university, learning IT - an area that fascinates me as much as athletics. On a daily basis, I learn to reconcile my passions and my responsibilities, between the code and the track. I am the rather calm, but passionate and determined type when it comes to what is close to my heart. I like to spend time with my loved ones, discover new music, and sometimes just enjoy a good film. Athletics? For me, it is a game between body and mind. A few seconds on the track can summarize months of work, perseverance and overtaking. This thrill just before departure, this search for perfection ... It is a quest that follows me everywhere. Authentic, curious and always in motion, I believe in balance, discipline and the beauty of the challenges - whether sporty, intellectual or human.

For me, athletics is much more than a sport. It is a universal language. It is the search for pure performance, a constant dialogue between body and mind. It is a sport where we are alone in front of the chronometer, but where we always build ourselves thanks to the others: his teammates, his coach, his competitors who push us to go further. It is a demanding discipline that learns humility, patience and rigor.

What brought you to athletics?

At school, I tried athletics almost by chance, and even if my results were still among the first, my heart leaned elsewhere. I was convinced that I would become a footballer - it was my dream since little. I saw the stadium as my future, crampons like my second skin. But at university, things have changed. I took a new start, a bit like a need for a need. I realized that what I really was looking for was this raw feeling, this face-to-face with yourself that only the sprint can offer. On the track, there is only me, my starting blocks and the straight line. Each race is a story that is written in a few seconds, intense and without compromise. I left the football fields behind me to fully kiss this passion for speed. Today, I no longer run to be simply among the first-I run to become the best version of myself, excavated after stride.

At school, I tried athletics almost by chance, and although my results were always among the top, my heart was elsewhere. I was convinced that I would become a footballer — it had been my dream since I was little. I saw the stadium as my future, the crampons as my second skin. But at university, things changed. I made a fresh start, a bit like a necessary change of scenery. I realized that what I was really looking for was this raw feeling, this face-to-face with yourself that only sprinting can offer. On the track, it's just me, my starting blocks and the straight line. Each race is a story that is written in a few seconds, intense and without compromise. I left the football fields behind to fully embrace this passion for speed. Today, I no longer run to just be among the first — I run to become the best version of myself, stride by stride.

Not at all! Small, I dreamed of becoming a footballer. The sprint gradually imposed itself on me, as obvious. It was not a childhood dream, but it became a passion for young adult, a mature choice. Today, running is an essential part of who I am. This is my ambition, my daily challenge, and that's it, in the end, which made it my dream.

No, it's not easy. It is a daily challenge. Between training, recovery and my studies, you need a flawless organization. Sometimes I have to make choices and it requires sacrifices. But it is a routine that makes me stronger and more disciplined in all aspects of my life.

The biggest challenge is the mind. Stay concentrated in the starting blocks, ignore everything-the public, the other runners, the pressure-to be only reaction, speed and technical. Then regularity. Being efficient not just a day, but every day in training. This is where the hundredths win. And finally, accept suffering - physical and mental - to push its limits, again and again. Each race is a fight against yourself.

My greatest pride is not a title or a time, but the person I have become thanks to this sport. Of course, beat personal records like going under the 10 "80 on 100m was incredible. But what I am really proud of is never having dropped, even after injuries, doubts or bad races. Each training under the Rain, every effort when nobody looks, whenever I had to get up: that is my real pride. That, nobody can never take it away from me.

6:30 am: Wake up. Light and fast breakfast

8 a.m. - 4 p.m.: University lessons. I try to stay focused even if fatigue is sometimes felt.

4 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.: track training. Speed ​​work, initial technique or threshold session. This is where I release all the energy accumulated during the day.

7 pm - 8:30 p.m.: session in the gym. Targeted muscle building to prevent injuries and gain power. 9 p.m.: Balanced dinner rich in protein to recover well.

11 p.m.: Dodo. Sleep is non-negotiable-it is he who consolidates all the efforts of the day.

When I started athletics at school, I just saw it as a hobby, because, as I said before, I dreamed of a career in football. But today it's my second skin. I expect to surpass myself again and again, to become a better athlete for myself and the best in the world. 

Don't be afraid to dream, but be ready to work for this dream. Athletics, like all dreams, requires patience, discipline and a lot of perseverance. Listen to yourself, but also listen to those who guide you-coaches, parents, more experienced athletes. They sometimes see what you don't see yet. Celebrate the small victories - a successful session, a new feeling, a small personal record. This is what builds confidence. Finally, never forget why you started. Difficult days, this is this reason that will make you get up and run again. Stay humble, stay determined, and above all - enjoy the path.

That's all for this article, I hope you liked it. I invite you to follow him on his various networks in order to encourage him in his journey. Who knows, one day he might represent our two-tone at the Olympic Games and you won't want to miss the boxes. As for me, I will see you soon for a new article, until then take care of yourself.