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Reluctant monk Marceau hopes prayers will be answered
PARIS, Sept 1 (AFP) - World triathlon champion Olivier Marceau of France has traded in a hedonistic approach to life for a quasi-monastical routine this Olympic year. And on the evidence so far Marceau, a relative unknown at the start of the year, could be rewarded for his temporary vows of poverty, obedience and even chastity with an Olympic gold as the triathlon makes its bow as an Olympic sport at Sydney. Marceau's decision to eschew the good life in pursuit of Olympic gold have already been rewarded by a wholly unexpected victory in this year's world championships in Perth, Australia. But after Sydney - win or lose - Marceau readily admits that he will abandon his policy of puritanism and return to more earthly pursuits. A measure of Marceau's drastic improvement can be gauged by the fact that he was ranked 31st in the world in April when he won that world title. In Perth, 27-year-old Marceau was reaping the benefit of his decision to seclude himself on Australia's Gold Coast, even taking a three-month break from his girlfriend Astrid Coupet. His base was at Surfers Paradise - but the happy-go-lucky Frenchman admitted it was more of a hell on earth as he reluctantly embraced his new Spartan regime. Explained Marceau to AFP: "It was a hard, lonely time, in which I cut myself off from my family, ate all the right things, trained 20 to 25 hours a week, went to bed at 8 p.m. and rose at 5 a.m. for training an hour later. "There were none of the foods I like, such as ice cream, pizza, French fries and McDonald's. Instead, there were lots of vegetables and carbohydrates. "The loneliness was sometimes terrible. I missed my family and friends awfully, especially my girlfriend." After that World Championship Marceau allowed himself a brief return to the 'eat, drink and be merry' philosophy - but not for long. Marceau returned to the cloisters - what he calls his 'hard, monastic-like life' in July - this time in France - as he prepares for Sydney and will also have a stint in New Caledonia just before the Games. "I can do great things. But I am not going to Sydney just for a gold medal. If that happens, that would be fantastic, but if not, I would not be disappointed," he said. Marceau admits he can not sustain such an esoteric lifestyle for long and admits he will never be able to match the consistent excellence of Britain's Simon Lessing, whose fanatically dedicated approach has made him the man to beat over the past decade and in Sydney. "I will never be a Simon Lessing," said Marceau. "He is most people's favourite everywhere he goes, and he backs that up almost every time. But I don't want to lead a monk's existence, I don't have the desire to live a life like that 365 days a year." The days of abstinence will be over for Marceau after the Games but Marceau's disciplined build-up may yet enable him to enjoy his own slice of heaven on September 17 when the first Olympic Triathlon champion is crowned in the shadow of the famous Sydney Opera House.
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