White kimono, black belt. Blandine Guimard, 37, performs judo holds under the watchful eye of her new coach, Andrani Roger. No rest for the body, nor even for the mind which must anticipate the strategy and reactions of the opponent. “From the moment you pose…
White kimono, black belt. Blandine Guimard, 37, performs judo holds under the watchful eye of her new coach, Andrani Roger. No rest for the body, nor even for the mind which must anticipate the strategy and reactions of the opponent. “From the moment you set foot on the tatami, you must have eyes everywhere,” explains the judoka, who has been competing for a long time.
A three-time bronze medalist at previous World Championships, the judoka hopes this time to go further in the competition and finally win the gold that has so far slipped through her fingers. “I worked a lot for this,” confides Blandine Guimard. After a few months of doubts during which I asked myself a lot of questions, I tackled a training program based on physical preparation, but also mental preparation to try to have the best possible season with the Worlds as the highlight. . »
Busy schedule
The Ribéracoise became French champion in her category in June 2023. This allowed her to be selected to defend the French colors at the veteran world championships, which will begin for her on Friday November 3 in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. She does not yet know the identity of her first opponent. “I could definitely come across a French competitor,” admits Blandine Guimard. Just like me, Adeline Dezoteux and Séverine Boussicault won their ticket to the Worlds. »
“On the tatami, you must have eyes everywhere”
It hasn’t all been easy, far from it. For a year, Blandine Guimard had to juggle between her family life, her work as a liberal nurse, the presidency of the Ribérac Judo Club and her three weekly training sessions, Wednesdays and Fridays in Ribérac and Mondays at the Toulon room, in Périgueux.
With his two coaches
She even had to adapt to a new sporting environment, the dojo of her club having been made impassable by the hailstorm which fell on the Ribéracois in June 2022. “We first used the training room. festivals of Saint-Méard-de-Drône before settling in a holiday center lent by the SNCF”, slips the judokate, who considers “not to be the most to be pitied given the damage which was caused by the storm in private homes.
To give herself every chance of winning gold, Blandine Guimard chose to go to Abu Dhabi surrounded by people. This Tuesday, October 31, the day of her 38th birthday, her two coaches will be on board with her: Henri Aubry, who trained her from the age of 14 to 36, and Andrani Roger, at her side for a year. “There will also be Valérie Lonvaud, a friend who practices Chinese medicine and acupuncture,” she rejoices. She knows how to count on the good advice of others and the little touches of others to keep a cool head and perform.
2023-10-31 07:40:39
#gold #United #Arab #Emirates
