We sat down with Justine to ask her about her stunning performance in Slalom-X and her third world title.

After a rough start on the opening days, you found yourself sitting far down the leaderboard. What went through your mind in those early moments, and how did you mentally reset on the beach instead of letting frustration take over?
After a rough start on the opening days, you found yourself sitting far down the leaderboard. What went through your mind in those early moments, and how did you mentally reset on the beach instead of letting frustration take over? I didn’t have the best start of the event with a 5th, 3rd and 7th place to begin with. I was lacking hunger and was sailing very far from what I could do. But after that third race I thought of my parents watching me from home and I told myself I had to offer them a better show and that gave me the motivation to go and win the fourth race. From then on I had found my motivation and I slowly climbed up the ranking. 

 In previous events, high-pressure final days haven't always gone your way. What did you learn from those past disappointments that allowed you to handle the pressure differently this time around?
The difference is that I wasn’t focused on overall classification. I was focusing more on myself, giving my best race after race and keeping a positive mindset through every race. This allowed me to race with no pressure even when the world title was being decided in extreme conditions. This is the main difference with previous world titles.

Going into the final day in Fuerteventura, you were trailing by just 0.3 points with four races left. How did you prepare yourself mentally that morning, and what was your internal narrative before hitting the water?
Because I wasn’t feeling the pressure I was able to eat and sleep normally. I also felt like I was still feeling good physically. So I arrived on the beach with full confidence. I’ve got really excited by the conditions and the race course. I kept telling myself that I had to enjoy this day because whatever happens it would be a day we remember because of the extreme conditions. This positive mindset added to a lot of focus during the race was the perfect balance to handle the last day pressure! I had that certainty that I was gonna win the titlel. This never happened to me before and it even scared me a bit for a moment that I was too confident.

With wind gusts pushing past 50 knots, the conditions were borderline survival. How do you keep your heart rate down and stay tactical when you are racing right on the physical limit?
I’ve changed my physical preparation lately. I have been adding a lot more biking and even got into racing for fun. And this new hobby gave me a lot more physical endurance. Coming into the last day I was still feeling fresh and that played a big role into making the right decisions in those extreme conditions. I felt good with my gear, no major pain in my body, and this allowed me to stay on my board during the four races of the last day. 

Beyond the trophy, what did proving to yourself that you could conquer a final-day pressure situation mean to you on a personal level?
I am very proud of this final day. Proving to myself what I can do under pressure is something that made me proud. I am also getting older and feeling more maturity in my way of seeing things. And this gave answers to a lot of questions that were going through my mind the past months. So this victory was a big relief and a bringed me a lot of happiness ! 

If you could talk to the younger version of yourself who used to get overwhelmed on final days, what insight would you share with her now?
It’s easier to say than to do but I’d tell her to put it into perspective. In the end being in the fight for a title is already a massive achievement, whatever the results are in the end. That was my approach this week and it allowed me to keep the pressure low. I’d also tell her to find the positive in every situation. This was also a massive change into my approach. Even after some gear damage or massive crash I was always finding a way to smile through it and not getting affected.

Merci, Justine!