Thursday, 20 June 2024 / Paris 2024
Judoka Samuel Gassner will celebrate his Olympic debut in Paris. On Olympic Day, the 22-year-old thrilled the kids on and off the mat.
Samuel Gassner from Upper Austria was impressed by the large crowds at Olympic Day at the Linzer Gugl: “It’s extremely cool! I even met the teachers from my former middle school here. If I had been at an Olympic Day like this as a child, I would have been happy to see so many athletes and to come into contact with so many different sports. This is something very special that has been put together here. Maybe we’ll see future Olympic athletes here.”
The 73-kilogram man knows what he’s talking about. He himself won the silver medal at the 2017 European Youth Olympic Games (EYOF) in Györ. Seven years later, he has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“I think every professional athlete dreams of taking part in the five rings and of winning a medal there! The Olympics mean everything to me,” says the Ottensheim native, fondly remembering the EYOF silver medal. “It was a long time ago, but it was a similarly surprising situation back then. I qualified at the last minute via a wildcard and then the medal came – hopefully I can do the same again in Paris!”
Samuel Gassner does not forget to thank his judo colleague Aaron Fara: “Aaron was injured before the World Championships, but he still fought there and got the last Olympic quota place. That was decisive!”
There are still 36 days until the opening of the Olympic Games in France. “It will be hectic weeks until Pairs. We are still training here in the Olympic Center Upper Austria, where we have optimal conditions. After that we will go to Valencia, back to Vienna for the Olympic kit fitting and then back to Spain. Only then will we go to Paris – the anticipation is already huge!”
2024-06-20 17:06:30
#Olympia
