Ines Boubakri achieved a fencing first at the 2016 Olympic Games. When the 27-year-old world No.9 overcame Russia’s Aida Shanaeva 15-11 in the third-place playoff in women’s individual foil, she became Africa’s first female fencer to win an Olympic medal. Boubakri, the 10-time African champion, gives an insight into an unforgettable experience.

How did you feel right after the last touch on the piste in Rio?

I had a feeling of pride. I thought about the long road I’d travelled, the work I’d done with my coach Yann Detienne. I thought about my family. This moment will remain engraved on my soul – I felt unbelievable joy. I kept saying, “I’ve done it, I’ve got it”. I realised I’d made my dream come true. Once I had the medal around my neck I told myself that it belonged to me for ever. That moment seemed to go on for so long that I had time to think about my family again, and what this medal means to me and my country. I couldn’t hold back the tears and I wept for joy.

How would you describe your experience at Rio 2016 overall?

When I arrived, I felt stronger than ever but three days before my event, I found out the names of my opponents and panicked. I felt I wasn’t up to it. My next training sessions were catastrophic – from a technical and mental viewpoint– but little by little I regrouped. I thought about all the work I’d done. Whoever my opponents, I’d come to Rio to win. Come the event, I felt better as the day went on. Although I lost the semi-final, my fencing had been excellent against someone [Elisa Di Francisca] who’d always caused me serious problems and for the third-place playoff, I told myself, “I can’t stop here. Given the way I’m fencing, I’m going to try and get a medal.”

What did you do right after the Games?

I went back home to Tunis so that I could share my joy with my family. They gave me a hero’s welcome. I was received by the Sports Minister and government figures. All my family were there – my parents, my brothers, my friends, my aunts and cousins, and so on. I never thought that one day I’d receive this kind of welcome. I was in great demand with the Tunisian media at first so I wasn’t able to enjoy time with my family but after a few days I was able to catch my breath and spend a few days at the seaside.

What’s the daily programme of an Olympic medallist and what sacrifices do you have to make?

I train every day, once or twice a day, depending on weekend competitions and my class schedule. My training sessions consist of attack sessions – matches – as well as individual sessions we call lessons, and physical preparation. Lessons are very important. Apart from working on technique and sequences, they enable you to work in a specific way, with the coach, on particular actions or targeting specific fencers. We also do courses abroad to get ready for competitions. For the Olympics, I went to Avoriaz in France with my coach, fitness trainer and a few fencers from my club. It was a way to focus my training on fencers from abroad and to vary my defences.

To whom did you dedicate your Olympic medal and why?

I dedicated my medal to the Arab woman as she has her place in the society we live in and I hope that through my discipline I have been able to pass on my message. It’s also for my husband Erwann Le Péchoux, my family, and all the people who believed in me and helped me through the difficult times. I would just like to say an enormous thank you to them.

What do you enjoy doing as a break from fencing?

I love going shopping. I really like fashion but with training and going away for competitions I don’t often have time to go out because I prefer to rest and spend time at home. Whenever I do get the opportunity to go shopping with my friends, though, I really go for it!

What are your plans for the upcoming season?

The post-Olympic year is rather a special transition year. You’ve come to the end of a long sporting cycle which is very testing, both mentally and physically. The next Olympic Games are still a long way off. For me this will be the year for completing my Masters in Sport Expertise and High Level Performance studies. Then I’ll go on to the DEJEPS [fencing teacher] training course. Of course, I still have big sporting aims as well. Once my studies and retraining are completed, I’ll be able to start out again – with a calm, clear mind – toward a new Olympiad and think about Tokyo 2020. After these last three years and especially this Olympic medal, my ambitions are growing all the time.