On the day of the Olympic gold a verse from the Bible resonated with her. “I felt an inexplicable flow of energy inside me.” But the life of a judoka is also depression, rediscovered love, eating disorders, darkness and a return to light. And here he talks about all this
Arriving at the Federal Olympic Center in Ostia, just outside Rome, Alice Bellandi surprises us: she is at ease even in a world apparently far from that of judo, made of martiality and composure. The make-up, hairstyles and changes of clothes amuse her and that severe look that distinguishes her when she wears a judogi in competition is transformed: “From the outside I may seem unpleasant, almost a bitch, but in reality my biggest secret is that I am a teddy bear.” The one who speaks is a different Alice, who has learned to open up, leaving room for love, especially towards herself. That love that was missing in a difficult moment of his life, so much so that he hit rock bottom. The Olympic gold won in Paris, beating the Israeli Lanir in the final, is the result of a journey that led the twenty-six year old from Brescia to face head on the traumas that were eating away at her. In 2020, while on the tatami she was fighting to qualify for the Tokyo Games, outside she was battling depression and eating disorders. And it was precisely the subsequent disappointment of seventh place in Japan that saved her. From there, she began a rebirth that led her to change coach, weight category (from -70 kg to -78 kg), to meet her mental coach Laura Pasqua and her partner, the South African judoka Jasmine Martin , also rediscovering faith. A rediscovered and delicate balance that she is still forced to deal with today and which in France led her to fulfill her lifelong dream. His gold is not a simple medal, but the consecration of a return to the light, the reward for his willpower and courage to ask for help.
