For many, seeing the world ranked #8 in the -70kg category, Miriam BUTKEREIT, enter the Tallinn European Open a matter of weeks before her Olympic debut in Paris, was quite the surprise. However the 30 year-old judoka from Germany needed a run on the tatami to confirm all was in order.
It was an interesting day for Butkereit given the strength of Germany throughout the weight classes and ending top fighting team mate Bertille MURPHY for the gold medal, but for these top athletes who have defined systems in place, it was a case of making sure her competition day was as it should be.
I had an injury at the Europeans and I wanted to go through my routine to see if it all still works… and it works!
For anyone with an Olympic dream, picking up an injury in the build up is nerve-racking, immediately thoughts of ‘can it be salvaged?’ ‘will I lose my spot?’ can run through the mind of an athlete, but thankfully for Butkereit, the set back in the European Championships was a minor one. Following her quarter final win, she withdrew.
It was a little bit of a worry before the Games, I knew it was my knee and my coach told me that I wouldn’t fight [the rest of the day], so I really wanted to win that last contest.
We hadn’t seen Butkereit again since the European Championships while she has recovered, but this week was back to business in Benidorm for the OTC, the final one before the Olympic Games 2024.
Benidorm was really nice, the weather was great and there were some good training partner, not all from the top ranking but still a high level so you can improve yourself and still get some wins in there.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen