“I will do everything to have a life very different from that of an athlete”

“I have always loved the plastic arts, I have never stopped doing them. I was also interested in music, photography and video,” says Luc Abalo. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP

Luc Abalo is a legend of French sport. The winger has won everything in his career – he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the tricolor hand on Sunday – and could have devoted his “after life” to his sport. But his conversion will take place away from the field. He wants to find a place in the art world and continue to develop his clothing brand. After a final experience in Japan, the triple Olympic, world and European champion confided in the Figaroavoiding no subject.

LE FIGARO. – When you were young, you dreamed of being a designer, and not a handball player. Is there the idea of ​​making up for lost time by indulging now in your first p***ion?

Luc ABALO. – It’s exactly that. I tell myself that I have always had something in mind and I absolutely want to accomplish it. I like it, and I don’t want to have any regrets.

How did you start painting?

I started painting at 16. Before, I was just drawing. I took cl***es at the municipal workshops of the town hall…