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Isabelle Yacoubou: Basketball star and mother

Frenchwoman Isabelle Yacoubou is one of the best basketball players in Europe. Now the 36-year-old has written the book Géante, in which she describes her path in top-level sport and the difficulties of playing at the highest level of performance again after having a child.

“For me it was important to show: Yes, it is possible “

“We don’t talk about it with men,” said Yacoubou. “They are fathers, but their wives take care of everything. But with women, their status is immediately questioned. Is she able to return to the highest level of performance? Is it physically possible? Is it possible to take care of children, household and job? Is it possible? For me it was important to show: Yes, it is possible, of course with some adjustments, but that it is possible,” she said.

After the birth of her daughter in 2018, Yacoubou sat out the following season. In 2022, she became French champion again with Bourges. She also won that title in 2010, she was European champion with France in 2009, and they won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.

Model Serena Williams

“Obviously, as a black woman, I don’t have many role models of successful black women. The only one that comes to my mind is Serena Williams, without a doubt,” the Frenchwoman said. “I remember that she regretted not breastfeeding her daughter so that she could lose weight, so that she could return to competition faster. It was explained to her: if she breastfed her child, her body wouldn’t be able to take that effort to get back into shape. And there was no way I wanted to go through that,” says Yacoubou.

To take care of her daughter and adopted son, the 36-year-old Yacoubou, who now plays in Tarbes, limits herself to one training session a day.

By Arnold