My name is Jolien Corteyn.
I am 16 years old, almost 17 years old.
I represent Belgium and I've been fencing since I was four.
It is my passion and I enjoy it a lot.
(FENCING BELGIUM)
(JOLIEN IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP YOUNG SABRE FENCERS)
(HEROES OF THE FUTURE)
(DE KLAUWAERTS FENCING CLUB SINT-NIKLAAS, BELGIUM)
Sabre is a very attractive sport,
because it is explosive, physical and
spectacular sport, but it requires restraint,
control and a special mind-set.
If you run the 100m in 12 seconds,
you will not suddenly improve to 11 second or 13 seconds.
In fencing, it can be very different.
It depends what shape you're in,
who your opponent is, the referee, and so on.
We have to train very hard, we sweat a lot.
The mask makes it mysterious,
but it makes it more difficult to breathe.
We have to be very mobile.
I think because some people don't know it that well,
that it is being underestimated.
(SINT-NIKLAAS, BELGIUM JOLIEN'S HOMETOWN)
For Jolien, fencing was a hobby and a game
for a long time.
We never pushed her in any way.
From that moment on, when she turned 12, she became
very focused at training and became a perfectionist.
My friends that have known me since I was little
were used to see me and my family fencing,
but when I first meet somebody, the initial reaction is always,
"Fencing? You? A girl?"
Jolien has always been very explosive and vocal.
She is not easily cornered,
so it is the perfect sport for her
to get rid of her energy and channel her aggression.
She is not shy and needs that kind of discharge.
(SPORT VLAANDEREN TRAINING CENTRE, GENT, BELGIUM)
It wasn't always easy having two fencing daughters.
There was always a big competition
between Saartje and Jolien.
It was not easy when they were younger
and ended fencing against each other.
There was always one winner and one loser.
The loser came home to mom crying
and the other came home to mom laughing.
We train well together, but we do clash sometimes.
We both want to be the best.
Saartje was always better and older,
but Jolien was catching up.
Now, she is able to beat we at times,
so we must fight for who is the best right now.
At the moment, we can both beat each other at times,
but I have to practise hard to be able to keep up.
But it makes them glad that we can do this together,
that we can continue this family tradition.
They are proud, no matter what.
Now they are proud I can go to the Youth Olympics.
I'm very proud of her. She fought hard to achieve this.
It was her dream for a very long time,
so I feel a lot of pride.
It's a pity I can't compete,
but I'm happy for her. It's all good.
For me, it's not really important who is the best.
I just want them to have fun and do as well as they can.
We went to Rio
because my dad's athlete qualified for the Olympics.
My reaction was, "Wow, this is what I want to do.
"This is the level I want to be at."
That was a huge boost for me to train ever harder.
That's our goal. That's why we are fencing.
That's why we are working so hard at training.
When I saw him with his athlete, I thought,
I want to be here as well.
With him. I want to make everyone proud.
I want to be proud of myself. I want to have that feeling.
If Jolien would be able to become Youth Olympic Champion
or to get a medal, it will be very emotional for me.
I think it will be hard not to cry in that moment.
Their development has been excellent.
They are very motivated,
and whatever happens is a bonus.
We will always be proud of her,
whether she will be first or last, with or without a medal.
(HER TIME IS NOW)
(OLYMPIC CHANNEL ORIGINAL SERIES OLYMPICCHANNEL.COM)