Monday November 4. Night falls on Oran, Algeria. Tristan Le Correa young 25-year-old nurse, enters the tatami. He will have four fights in one hour. “In arms, I was eliminated in the first fighthe recalls. In foot-fists, I won the first fight, I lost the second by arbitration decision and I lost the third.” Ultimately, Tristan finished fourth out of five in his group, but above all he will remember it as a good experience to take.
Yoseikan, a complete martial art
For seventeen years, Tristan Le Corre practiced judo, up to international levels. For several years, he has devoted himself fully to the practice of yoseikan budoa martial art dependent on the French karate federation, in Mesnilois dojoAt Mesnil-en-Thelle (Oise)near Chambly. “Yoseikan was created by Hiroo Mochizuki, the man who brought karate to Europe in 1954says Christian Lagreme, president of the club. There are several disciplines, such as karate, boxing, judo, aikido and ju jitsu. As well as all kinds of weapons. It is a very complete martial art, which is inspired by the comings and goings of the sea: we absorb the attack and repel it.»
Best friend of the daughter of the Lagremes, who founded the section within the Mesnil-en-Thelle sports club in 2015, Tristan logically wanted to try yoseikan budo. And in 2017, he won a bronze medal at the French championship in Albi. “It’s a completely different style of fighting compared to judo where it’s rather static.he explains. Remote work is completely different too. There is also the handling of weapons, which we do not have in judo.»
At the individual world championship
French champion of less than 80 kg in foot-fists last year, it was quite natural that the young man registered for the world championship in Oran, as an individual, not being selected with the team of France. “We could manage this competition financially, we said to ourselves that it was a great challenge for him and our club», smiles Véronique Lagreme, treasurer of the club. The only French individual, Tristan Le Corre valiantly defended the colors of Mesnil-en-Thelle. “There were a total of 458 fighters, in teams and individualshe says. The level was really very good individually.”
Thanks to his status as French champion, Tristan should participate in scouting and an internship with the French team, and perhaps join it afterwards. But before that, let’s head to the French yoseikan cup which will take place on December 7 and 8 not far from there, in Méru. “Fourteen members of the club are sent there», rejoices Véronique Lagreme. We will now have to bring home as many medals as possible.
A family club with nearly 100 members
In Mesnil-en-Thelle, yoseikan budo is a section of the Mesnil-en-Thelle sports club, along with football, handball, dynamic fitness, ping-pong and tennis. It has existed since 2015. Created with around thirty members, the section now has nearly a hundred, the majority of which are children. “We also offer krav-maga and mixed karatespecifies Christian Lagreme, creator of the section with his wife Véronique. We have children from 4 and a half years old to 68 years old in krav-maga.»
Only two years after its creation, the club already sent three competitors to the French championship in Albi. Since then, several of them have gone there every year and won medals. In 2019, Théo Tobescu was the first member of the club to participate in a World Cup, in Paris. He came home with a silver medal. Tristan Le Corre, unfortunately, did not have the same success in Oran this year. But it’s only a postponement.
