His right eyelid is bloodshot, he hasn’t yet digested his narrow defeat in the final against underdog Goki TAJIMA (JPN/No. 89 in the world rankings). But when Emanja MAJDOV (SRB) starts to talk about his long career as a world-class athlete, he looks happy and content in one fell swoop, perhaps even a little younger.
The 27-year-old Serb is kind of a marathon man. Exactly 3,533 days, or almost 10 years, have passed since he won his first international junior medal and became European Junior Champion. As of Wednesday, Emanja now holds a full set of World Championships medals. After gold in 2017 and bronze two years later, he has now won silver. Last year, he was crowned European champion in Montpellier and now holds a total of six European Championships medals. “This is my true seal of approval, 10 years at the top. That makes me proud and I’m more competitive today than ever.”
Writing off Emanja Majdov is dangerous to say the least. “I’ve had seven knee operations alone, six on the right and one on the left. But I’ve always come back and I’m back to my old self on the mat, even though I lost the final.”
The final mission is imminent. “My biggest dream is to win an Olympic medal. I want to fulfil that in the summer. That’s what I’m fighting for…”
Things are going just as well in his private life: “We’re having a second son – I can hardly wait.” Whether he wants to concentrate on being a dad after Paris is something the Serb is leaving unanswered for the time being. “But you can write: Paris is my last big sporting goal – that’s definitely true.”
There are just 65 days to go until the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris. Hardly worth mentioning for someone like Emanja Majdov.
Author: EJU Media