Disappointed with his third place in the French championship last June, it was still on this step of the podium that the judoka from the Maeda des Abymes club finished at the European championships in Italy in Cagliari (Sardinia) last weekend. .
Following his preparation with the French team in Sophia Antipolis (Alpes-Maritimes) in August, the member of the Maeda des Abymes club left directly for Italy. As with every competition, you must arrive two days earlier to make the visual classifications which allow judokas to determine their category: J1 (blind) or J2 (visually impaired). The judoka had prepared perfectly for this international deadline. “The preparation for this summer with Jimmy Guillou in Guadeloupe and the French team, both physically, technically and tactically, was paramount. I therefore approached these championships in better conditions than those of 2019”, announces Romuald Roboteur. “We worked on the tactics” explains Jimmy Guillou before detailing. “We didn’t have a lot of sessions because I was just a training support for his coach Nicolas Moradel. But the advantage is that Romuald is a sponge, he retains very quickly. I gave him solutions to take advantage of Jason Granderie, the champion of France. »
Finally a victory against Granderie
A few paid sessions since Romuald Raboteur just won his bronze medal against Granderie. “It’s still an international competition so I’m happy to come back with a medal, even if I would have preferred to come back with another metal,” concedes Raboteur. “My objectives today are to be called up to participate in the world championships next November and to continue to fight in international competitions to be in the ranking list and perhaps be able to shine at the Paris Olympics”.
“He found the resources for the medal”
As a result of his preparation, the attitude on and off the mats caught the eye of Antoine Hays, the para-judo director of the French Judo Federation. “We met a transcended and very dynamic Romuald. The day before his fight, we had the impression that he had taken on the importance of the competition and that he had found the resources to get this medal. He could be a holder for the World Championships next November and dream of the Olympic Games in two years. A conditional which has just turned into certainty since the list of holders for the World Championships was unveiled yesterday, Monday, by the French Judo Federation and Romuald Raboteur is one of them.
Difficult to find partners
Paradoxically, the preparation for these European championships was complicated. In Guadeloupe, it is difficult to find partners in para judo even if today it has personalized support thanks to the Regional House of Performance of Guadeloupe which helps high performance athletes on the territory and is a very important support. of the judo league, its club Maeda des Abymes and other partners.
For his part, Antoine Hays will come before the end of the year to Guadeloupe to meet all the actors who manage the preparation of the judoka in order to best coordinate the preparation of the Guadeloupean.
Romuald Raboteur (center) with the staff of the French Para-judo team, including Antoine Hays (left).
– DR
This bronze medal will have made Romual Raboteur shed some emotional tears.
– DR
