He’s relearning how to walk, so to speak. Classified in the category of -60 kg for more than 19 years, the Ecuadorian judoka Precious Lenin (the first to hang a gold in his sport in a few Pan American Games, Toronto 2015), changes division to face a new Olympic cycle in the -66 kgsomething that for the Machaleño has meant a “challenge”.
“Yes, I changed category and I’m going to fight in the -66 kg,” Preciado confirms to EXPRESS In the midst of preparing for the Open Panamericano this weekend in Bogotá, Colombia.
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He speaks calmly, slowly, although in his voice he denotes the expectation of having to leave his comfort zone in order to reach his third olympic gamesthose of Paris 2024.
He explains that after his participation in the Tokyo 2020+1 Olympics he made the decision. And it is that he arrived at that appointment as one of the main contenders for a medal by the Ecuadorian delegation. However, things did not go as expected and he was prematurely eliminated in the first round, after losing to the Bulgarian Yanislav Gerchev in July 2021.
“I have to seriously think about changing divisions,” he says he immediately thought. Being a seven-time medalist Pan American Judo Championship in the last nine editions it represented a status from which Preciado could not lower. Added to this is the historic gold medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and silver at the Lima 2019 Games.
Their Pan American Senior Gold MedalsLenin obtained them in San José 2018, Lima 2019 and Guadalajara 2021, one silver in Panama 2017 and three bronze in Guayaquil 2014, Edmonton 2015 and Guadalajara 2020, all achieved in the -60 kg.
It was precisely all those metals that the tricolor valued to analyze his career and decide that he should take the next step. “He was very sure of achieving that gold medal (referring to the JJ. OO. Tokyo 2020 + 1), but there were many obstacles. However, I know my level”, expresses the Orense.
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Lenin (i) was already silver in the -66 kg of the Pan American Judo Open that was held in Guayaquil in July.Courtesy -
The Tokyo Olympics were his second Games. Only 3 tricolor judokas qualified.File, Archive -
The 2015 Toronto gold earned him the tricolor flag bearer in 2016.File, Archive
After the Olympic event, Preciado returned to the country and in February he suffered an injury (grade 1 dorsal fracture) that took him away from the tatami. Today he is back.
“It was a kind of stupid injury (remembers between laughs), because regularly when we train we make projections and my injury occurred precisely in the fall of a projection. The day after the event I had no stability and from then on I began to feel dizzy. I had to stop and although in the process I did not feel any pain, I had to wait for the scar to heal. fracture, so I waited almost two months.” Thanks to the therapies, Lenin is “quite recovered”.
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The physical discomfort slowed down the process of changing Preciado’s category. He did not even go to the Pan American Judo Open in Lima, nor to the Bolivarian Games of Valleduparin Colombia, tournaments held in April and June respectively, which rather left the national fighter restless, since in the year only competed once. Although with satisfactory results, it counts.
The test to which he refers was the Open Panamericano which was held in Guayaquil on July 10, where he showed an outstanding staging at reach the final in the -66 kg and win the silver medal: a return to the tatami and debut in the category through the front door.
If you have to choose what has been most difficult for you in the change, the judoka says that winning muscular time. Regularly of slim build, Preciado must undergo a diet rich in carbohydrates to which he was not accustomed.
“I have never had weight problems because I take good care of my diet. I try not to eat junk food to build up more muscle mass, to weigh between 69 and 70 kg and then drop to 66, but in this category I’m giving away a lot of weight, so I do need to increase my muscle mass a little more and that’s what What is it costing me now?
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Preciado is living in the facilities of the Ecuadorian Judo Federationwhere he trains daily with his teacher and friend Jose Romero.
The Gold Juice has a fixed rematch personal sports, hence if everything goes according to plan he will be at the South American Games (Odesur) in Assumption 2022his main short-term goal next October, where he hopes to measure his level in the -66 kg against rivals with a higher position in the world ranking.
The challenge is set and the challenge accepted. The Odesurs are approaching and Lenin Preciado will go “for the gold” in this contest, which will bring him closer to his main objective: to participate in his third olympics and win a medal in Paris 2024.
