Eleven Senegalese athletes will be at the Paris Olympics, among them, the judoka Mbagnick Ndiaye who has been living in France for a few years. Already four times African champion, he competes in the +100 kg category and this is his second participation in the Olympics after Tokyo, where he was eliminated in the first round against the world number one. Mbagnick came to gather strength in June in Dakar with his family, where it all began, before the final stretch. But on site, the training conditions are not optimal.
From our correspondent in Dakar,
For his last day in Senegal, Mbagnick Ndiaye came to greet young judokas who are training to join a judo academy. In a soft voice, the colossus humbly introduces himself to the children, reminding them of the values of judo: « There are no secrets : discipline first, seriousness above all. »
Mbagnick discovered judo when he was very young, at the age of 5. He lived next to the national dojo in Plateau, the city centre of Dakar. He remembers: “Dand at home, I heard the judokas shouting and suddenly, I said to myself : why not go see what it is ? I went there, I put pressure on my parents to put me in judo. They put me in it and I never stopped. »
Now settled in France since 2019, it is essential for him to return to Senegal to do part of his training: “ At each Olympic Games, it is important to come home to be able to take the temperature, take instructions from the coaches of the clubs who saw me at a very young age. »
His Senegalese coach is Abdou Karim Seck who has known him since his debut, he has accompanied him on his many victories, including 4 African champion titles. « There are many memories. Sometimes, he makes us happy on the mat. When he wins a gold medal at the African championships, he gets on the podium and we play the national anthem, it’s priceless. “, remembers the coach, who will be with him in Paris for his second Olympic Games.
Mbagnick Ndiaye’s brother, Saliou, is also a judoka
And for his last training sessions in Dakar, Mbagnick can also count on his brother Saliou, who followed him in his discovery of judo and has also won several medals. “II am stronger than him », he laughs. « We train together, morning and evening, he is my friend. We share everything, we sleep on the same bed. It is really nice to see him by my side, supporting me, advising me. »
Saliou is not in Mbagnick’s category, he fights with the under 81 kg and Mbagnick lacks heavyweights to face in Senegal, but also infrastructure, since the destruction of the national dojo in 2023: ” This dojo represents a lot in Senegalese sport because it produced almost half of the country’s African champions, all sports combined. And now, seeing it demolished in this way, without having a replacement dojo, is still unfortunate. ” he regrets.
Mbagnick leaves to finish his training in Spain. His brother Saliou will follow him from afar: ” On TV. We hope he comes back with a medal, inshallah. We are proud of him. »
Mbagnick’s goal: a first Olympic medal in Paris, and gold in Los Angeles in four years.
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2024-07-14 22:43:50
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