“It’s the consecration of a dream” and “the only title that was missing in my prize list”, declared to AFP Cheick Cissé, crowned on June 4 world taekwondo champion in Baku, Azerbaijan, and symbol of success of this South Korean martial art in Côte d’Ivoire. In addition to this title, three of the four Olympic medals won by the country have been in taekwondo. In 2016 in Rio, Cheick Cissé won gold and his compatriot Ruth Gbagbi bronze; she repeated her victory in 2020 in Tokyo.
The feat begins with an ordinary fact. The champion’s father, Abdelkader Cissé, introduced him to martial arts, starting with karate: “I wanted him to manage his stress better,” he says. Trained “like all champions” at the Koumassi training center in Abidjan, Cheick Cissé “arrived at barely 10 or 11 years old”, recalls his first taekwondo coach, Christian Kragbé. “I knew it was something that was made for me,” says the world champion, but “I never thought it was going to be professional.”
Born in Bouaké (center) in a modest family, “he trains in very difficult conditions, sometimes on bare ground”, recalls Christian Kragbé: “Here we have the men, but in terms of equipment, material , we are not in the same boat” as Western countries. “Nothing was given to me,” says Cheick Cissé, 29, when he recalls his “obstacle course”: “We tried to force fate through training, through willpower. When you’ve been through this kind of situation, it adds something to the mind”, which becomes “heavy”. “It’s not easy to give up,” he says.
Paris 2024 objective
His former coach is quick to say that he is “the prototype athlete” that any coach would want to have: “He loves training”, has “a good technical base” and “doesn’t cheat”. “Everything he does, he does it fully. He is someone who has his heart on his hand, he shares a lot, ”he underlines, specifying that the champion has donated 32 million CFA francs (48,900 euros) to the federation.
Since the introduction of taekwondo in Côte d’Ivoire by South Korean master Kim Young Tae in 1968, the number of followers has continued to grow. “Among the first students he had, there were Ivorian authorities, including General Gaston Ouassénan Koné”, a former minister in several governments, explains Christian Kragbé. This enthusiasm of the elites gave visibility to the discipline, which today has 254 clubs and 40,000 students aged 4 to 80, according to the coach: “We are the second federation after football in terms of licensees. The clubs fill up because an Olympic medal is an example to follow. »
Passing through Abidjan in June, Cheick Cissé, who now lives in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), like several taekwondo champions, goes through official ceremonies and understands that his country is counting on him. “President Alassane Ouattara has asked me to speak to young people,” he said after an interview with Ivorian Vice-President Tiémoko Meyliet Koné. His vision of sporting success is collective: “I had to get this medal in order to inspire my young people. ” The next step ? “It’s first of all to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” said Cheick Cissé, adding: “And why not go and get the most beautiful medals for Côte d’Ivoire and for Africa. »