Three months ago she lost in the first round of the Grand Slam in Antalya against the Polish Natalia Kropska and was 56th in the Olympic ranking of -63 kg with only 633 points, today she is officially qualified for the Paris Games 2024. We are talking about Savita Russoprotagonist of an exhilarating run that saw her obtain in extremis the repechage for the Olympics through the continental quota (following some favorable fits) thanks to a sensational European bronze and the crucial fifth place obtained at the Grand Slam of Dushanbe. The Sicilian born in 2005, one of the most interesting young promises of Italian judo, commented on the news of her pass to the five-rings to the microphones of OA Sport.
How have you experienced these last weeks after the World Cup and what was your first reaction when you received the news of the pass to Paris?
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“After the World Championships everything was a question mark because by changing the rankings and not reaching a placement, there was no certainty. I was neither sad, because I knew I had done a good job, nor happy because the qualification would have been a great satisfaction. I didn’t stop believing because there were still small possibilities, in fact when I knew for sure that I would participate in the Olympics I was happy but not too much, because I wanted it so much that deep down I knew I would make it. Luck was also on my side, but nothing comes by chance, I think I deserved it“.
Your Olympic qualification campaign started much later than your peers. Was there a specific moment when you realized you were truly in the running for the Olympics?
“The fact that my race for the Olympics started late, just 10 months after Paris, I don’t consider it a disadvantage because I was forced to give my best in a short time, doing higher level races than I was used to, managing the pressure that inevitably accompanied me throughout the journey. I realized that I started this journey at the 2023 Senior European Championships in Montpellier, because having been called to a prestigious race like that I understood that they were taking me into consideration for something bigger“.
12 months ago you were preparing for the European Junior Championships, which you won in Holland. Did you ever imagine at that moment that you would find yourself in Paris a year later on the biggest stage in the world?
“Winning the European Junior Championship in 2023 was already a great result for me, very far from participating in the Olympics. Honestly, I would never have imagined myself fighting in Paris, I simply dreamed of going to see them“.
After that triumph at the European Juniors you abandoned the youth competitions to immediately try the big jump to the seniors. The impact with the major circuit was not easy at first, what were the biggest difficulties you faced in the transition to the World Tour?
“Surely the fact of having to compete with more experienced people was a difficulty that at the same time took away the pressure that I had in the junior competitions being one of the favorites. The seniors have a very different way of fighting than the juniors, more tactical and more studied, so being able to get used to this new style was an obstacle that however allowed me to improve.“.
Did competing so hard at the beginning of the season to climb the rankings prove to be an advantage in hindsight to reach peak form at the European Championships?
“Doing so many races close together made me accumulate physical but above all mental tiredness, this was also a reason for improving self-control and allowed me to enrich my experience by making mistakes and correcting them.“.
The European bronze in Zagreb was quite surprising for your young age (18 years and 344 days). Can you tell us your feelings about that magical day on the tatami?
“The European Championship in Zagreb was my best competition for various reasons. The first is the fact that I didn’t have any anxiety or particular pressure, maybe because I wasn’t one of the favorites. The second is that I was only 18 and no one could have expected such a result. The third is the satisfaction of having beaten a girl who was fighting at home in the final and therefore having all the fans against me. The fourth is the way I fought, managing to express my judo at its best. Both before and during the competition, I was quite calm. The first match I was a bit tense, but fight after fight I managed to concentrate and keep my lucidity. The last match was very intense, it lasted a long time, I was really tired and when I won I let go of all the tension and I realized what had happened, I was happy“.
Today, compared to the strongest in the world at -63 kg, what do you think are your strengths and the aspects in which you still have to improve a lot to consistently reach that level?
“I think my strengths are technique, the desire to give my best to satisfy myself before others, my young age and the desire to overcome increasingly complicated challenges to see how far I can get. Managing emotions is something I need to improve on, as well as being able to see the positive sides even in negative experiences“.
Which opponents have impressed you the most in recent months and who do you consider the most competitive in your category in Paris?
“Among all of them, definitely the Japanese Takaichi, with whom I lost at the Grand Slam in Tokyo last year, who I consider a really strong athlete, but not unbeatable. Other opponents are the French reigning Olympic champion Clarisse Agbegnenou, very strong physically but also very experienced, and the Dutch Van Lieshout who at only 21 years old became world champion, even if I have never fought with her.“.
What are your competitive goals in the short term (so in Paris 2024) and also in perspective for the rest of your career?
“The closest goal is to do my best in Paris, have fun and always aim for the best, because getting there is already an achievement, but the goal is not to participate. Regarding the future I have no particular plans, I will continue to do what I have always done and the rest will come by itself“.
2024-07-02 08:08:29
#deserved #luck #wont #Paris #participate..
