"Fencing teaches me how to live my feminity"
Dorra Ben Jaballah has been a fencer for 13 years. She is an elite athlete now, preparing for the Olympic Games in Rio. At the same time, she is the student of our University! We asked her about her experiences.
Photo: Szabolcs Csortos, UnivPécs
Studying in Pécs was like a coincidence or destiny, I never planned to come here before. Then one day I took part in competition in Budapest and I met the Tunisian ambassador who proposed me to come here. I liked the idea because I know lots of good Hungarian coaches, so I thought it could have been a good opportunity for me. I was right: studying in pecs was a very good step, the best decision I've ever made. The university is perfect, the teachers also are perfect: everyone cares about me, my studies, my training and they try to help me as much as they can. I am proud of being the part of this university. I think athletes can study easier because the skills gained from doing sports – such as learning to focus and to improvise - can improve your academic performance, as well.
Playing sports helps you to stay in shape, teaches you how to organize your time, boosts the number of your friendships. It helps in your whole life.
From September till now I travelled home only twice. We always have camps and competitions all over the world, always travelling...
It is hard to be in this level and it’s also hard to stay in it. I have to participate in many competitions continuously if I don’t want to lose my rank in my country. It was so hard to reach a good level and to keep it doing because of economics issues: I always had to be my own sponsor, I had to pay all the costs of the competition. If you want to be successful you just have to make sacrifices.
Many trainings, many hours and many kind s of trainings...We need a good physical preparation, good technics and high level of practicing. I think for reaching a good level you need more than 7 years, to have enough experiences, enough technics.
My goal right now is to be qualified for the Olympic Games and to gain good results there. We still have to reach good results in the next 4 or 5 competitions and we ask God to help us to be able to qualified. My purpose is reaching a good level in Olympic Games and becoming more and more better.
We can say that fencing already became more honored in Tunisia because of our results.
Fencing a little bit warlike for a woman but I like this thing in fencing: it is like being aggressive to get your point to get what you want. This shows that a woman can live her fiminity, being beautiful and in the same time aggressive in other ways. I live my fiminity and I enjoy being a fencer at the same time.
I think Géza Imre is the most perfect Hungarian fencer ever.
Fencing is the sport of smart people because it teaches you how to think deeply, how you could find a solution in a short time, how you could read the idea of your adversary and act before him or her. It teaches the fast reaction for you, deep thinking and you learn automatically how to be smart.
Dorra Ben Jaballah