Inside Pôle Athlétisme Bretagne in Cesson-Sévigné with sports psychologist and mental coach Alexandre Lejeune

In 2004, the French Ministry of Youth and Sports introduced a regulatory medical monitoring assessment, known as SMR, for all athletes on the official lists. It must be carried out within two months of their joining a training centre. In practice, the requirement is sometimes given only a cursory treatment. Because of a lack of time or interest in psychological support, some opt for a simple overtraining questionnaire handed out by the doctor rather than an appointment of up to 90 minutes with a psychologist.

The former centre director championing mental health

Of the 23 centres operating in France, Pôle Espoir Athlétisme Bretagne in Cesson-Sévigné stands out to some extent. The SMR assessment is carried out every year with all new arrivals. “It gives me a kind of ‘identity card’ for the athlete,” begins Alexandre Lejeune, who was contacted in 2012 by Jonathan Baleston-Robineau, the centre’s director from 2013 to 2023 and already aware of these issues.

At the time, introducing structured psychological support was almost a gamble. The director fought to offer his athletes support during a pivotal period of identity formation, while also giving them tools for mental preparation. “They leave home and move into boarding school, so their whole frame of reference is turned upside down,” the psychologist stresses about these high-school students. That was the real breakthrough: securing funding for this aspect more than a decade ago must have taken a serious battle, or at the very least reflected a strong commitment from the director in charge.

The first session is designed to assess the balance of the system around the athlete, to “find out how they feel in their own skin, away from their spikes.” Sometimes, the personal side needs to be explored before performance can follow. More often, though, the assessment identifies strengths and vulnerabilities by looking at every pillar of the athlete’s life. The two perspectives, that of the psychologist and that of the mental coach, complement each other. But their objectives can occasionally clash because of the timing imposed by competition.

The everyday lives of young athletes

Today, Alexandre Lejeune divides his time between Clairefontaine, where he supports young footballers, and Cesson-Sévigné, home to the athletes’ high school and boarding house, which he visits twice a week. His role is essential in looking after the young athletes’ wellbeing, even though not everyone turns to him in the same way.

Some use his presence to discuss more personal issues. Others, the majority, come looking for the tools to perform. “Nine times out of ten, they message me when they underperform, saying: ‘I can’t do it anymore, I want to manage my competition nerves better’,” says the man who then puts on his mental-coach hat without ever taking off his psychologist’s. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this year’s group. There have been quite a few requests about body image, self-esteem and relationships...”

Despite his start-of-year briefing, when he encourages new recruits to come and see him before a crisis hits, last-minute requests persist. “I warn them: don’t see mental preparation as a sweet, some kind of magic formula”, he says. And yet, a week before the French Championships, he still receives requests from students he has never met. Usually, these young athletes wait until the difficulty appears before calling for help. Sometimes they turn to the psychologist very late, almost too late. The problem is that athletes may be more likely than the general population to tell themselves, “I have to be strong, I can handle this on my own.” It is a monumental mistake, since most do not realise the energetic cost of keeping everything to themselves.

The need is usually expressed by the athletes themselves, but coaches who work with them every day also sometimes request an appointment with the psychologist, who may arrange a three-way meeting. The warning signs are numerous: feeling tired, a lack of energy and sharpness, underperformance, withdrawal, or reports from other athletes acting as whistleblowers. “A particular teammate may not take that step, but perhaps someone should send her a message, because she won’t do it herself, even though I’ve seen that she’s stopped eating anything in the dining hall,” illustrates the health professional. Eating disorders crop up regularly in middle-distance running, and all of this can alert the centre’s staff. Since parents only see their children at weekends, Lejeune may speak with them remotely to inform them about certain situations, but always with the young athlete’s agreement.

Why this support is essential?

These days, mental preparation gets blamed for everything. Everyone sees it as a way to boost performance. The young athletes at this centre receive tailored support that is not available to those who remain at their club rather than moving into boarding school. The space Alexandre Lejeune provides for them to talk is adapted to each individual issue. He and the athlete he is seeing do not automatically tackle any given subject according to the sporting calendar. And often, at the end of the session, he lets the athlete choose the date of the next appointment, in agreement with them.

Some do not feel the need for psychological support, particularly during their first few months at the centre. “They arrive believing they are confident, which is not necessarily the case, but it means they are not necessarily looking for help. Some carry on until they hit a wall ,” he explains. Unless failures begin to pile up or injuries stop them training, at which point they connect them with their mental state, they do not see the point of seeking help. “An injury can be an opportunity to work on things they do not have time to address in everyday life when they are fully focused on performance. It is a valuable window, but it is very rare for me to be contacted in those circumstances.”

For others, such as Agathe Guillemot, currently France’s leading 1500m runner, mental support does not necessarily change the picture. “She already had very significant resources when she arrived at the centre,” Alexandre Lejeune explains. Those who recognise the benefits of the sessions sometimes want to continue them after they leave. “It can be a continuation. Or I might not hear from them for two or three years,” the specialist says. Then they come back.” This year, a former “patient” resumed his sessions, feeling that he had never found anything like what they had built together.