Mediterranean Games gold medallist, Léa Palermo, told us that she has decided to stop looking at the road to Tokyo ranking, but Paris 2024 is something to get excited about. 

Palermo, 26, will be 30 by the time all the world’s top athletes descend on Paris in the search for Olympic glory. Palermo may have missed out on Tokyo, but she is enormously motivated for the sporting party that will happen on French soil. 

- I totally feel up for it! That is my new long-term goal. From the experience I got with the Tokyo Olympic qualification, I really look forward to doing things differently and having another high-level approach. I have always been a hard worker, sometimes mentally pushing myself too much and this is where I will get better when I get back on court. Being able to make my own decisions by listening to what my head and body are telling me.

There has been a lot written about the promising young generation of players coming through in France. Palermo is one of the more experienced ones, playing with Delphine Delrue, 21. Discussing how this new dynamic suits her, she says. 

- I would not say I have a leader roll in our partnership. I feel like we are just following what our instinct is telling us, knowing that we both have our own vision of badminton and high level. 

Read: Léa Palermo: Time to reflect

Mixed is back on

Last season, Palermo and Delrue were runners up in the Irish Open. Perhaps not up to the level of when they won both the Spanish and Belgian International the year before. Talking about what we can expect from her partnership(s) in the near future, Palermo explains. 

- To be honest, I do not know that much about what will be happening during and after the Olympic preparation. However, the only thing I know is that I am ready to start playing mixed doubles again. Even though I do not regret my choice to stop playing mixed during this Olympic year, I feel like, in the end, I kind of missed it. 

Lastly, looking already passed what will hopefully be a successful Paris 2024, when the time comes to part ways from professional badminton, Palermo would look to use a master’s qualification for an interesting future. 

- I would say no for high-level goals as a coach but I might be interested in passing a coaching diploma to share my own experience with players practising in clubs. I also managed to graduate a master’s degree in Management and will soon start an interior design course, so I will definitely try to find something inspiring related to this.