Will Teddy Riner attend the European Club Championships – Champions League 2024, especially as they are being staged in France at the FDI Stadium in Montpellier on 21 December? Where the Karabatic brothers once wrote French handball history, this year judo history will be written in front of 2,900 spectators.
The 101st and final EJU event of the Olympic year is just under four weeks away. “The anticipation is huge,” says Gévrise EMANE, new elected EJU Education Director and Executive Member. “We’re expecting a full venue hall and a Champions League-worthy atmosphere. The interest in France is huge. We love judo and we especially love the mixed team. What’s more, our Olympic judo heroes will be back at home for the first time since the games in France. At the beginning of November, at the national championships in Chalon-Sur-Saone, the Olympic starters were still taking a break. A good part of the French Olympic mixed team should be there in Montpellier. Of course, we hope that Teddy will be there too!”
No fewer than six French mixed teams are accredited for the European Club Championships – Champions League, led by the star team from Paris Saint Germain (as well attending: AM Asnieres, Montpellier Olympic Judo, Judo Nice Metropole, SGS Judo Sainte-Genévieve -des-Bois, CO Sartrouville Judo).
“It all started with the surprising victory in the final at the Summer Games in Tokyo 2021. Since then, we French have loved the mixed team competition. And the home victory in Paris, once again against Japan, has significantly increased the hype surrounding judo and our mixed team. People go crazy for these duels because nothing can be predicted. Any outcome is possible, even if Paris SG is the favourite from a French point of view,” says the 42-year-old, formerly number one in her weight class, three-time world champion and five-time European champion. Gévrise gave up her career almost ten years ago and now works as a life coach at the INSEP Olympic Centre in Paris. On the sidelines of the Executive Committee meeting in Budapest, we spoke to the Vice President (International Relations) of the French Judo Federation about the upcoming European Club Championships, the Olympic season in general, the French success story in particular and her professional future.
What do you expect from the European Club Championships and what does the French federation expect from Montpellier?
Gévrise Emane: “The hall has a capacity of 2,900 spectators, so we should be able to fill it. In any case, the anticipation among judo fans is huge. And Montpellier is a good ground for judo, as we saw last year at the European Championships Seniors. This time we are in a smaller hall, in the FDI stadium, where handball is normally played. If a French club ends up lifting the trophy, then it will have been a perfect year for the French Judo Federation.”
Are you counting on Teddy Riner?
Emane: “At the moment, only Teddy himself knows whether he wants to compete. There are no squad lists yet. But we are sure that a good number of the Olympic starters will be there. As I said earlier, this is the first opportunity since the Olympics to see our judo mixed team heroes such as Shirine Boukli, Amandine Buchard, Sarah Leonie Cysique, Romane Dicko, Luka Mkheidze and Maxime-Gael Ngayap Hambou back in action.”
Has the success of Paris also been reflected in increased membership numbers?
Emane: “Yes, interest is greater than ever before. We had an increase of 36,000 new licenses (+ 8%). And of course we want to capitalise on this boom. We’ve done a lot of things right in recent months and we should build on that.”
What does that mean in concrete terms? Can you give us a few examples?
Emane: “As you know, I work as a life coach at the INSEP Olympic Centre. In the two months before the Games in Paris, INSEP was the home base for the entire Olympic team, more than 600 people. Basketball players, track and field athletes, swimmers, gymnasts and judoka all trained together. It was super organised, we all helped each other. Just one example: I was also responsible for the 3×3 basketball players during this time. We grew together into a big team, benefited from each other and supported each other. I think that was the only way the French Olympic team’s great successes (64 medals, 16 gold) were possible. This also applies to judo…”
2 x gold, once with the mixed team, again in the final against Japan, plus 2 x silver, 6 x bronze. What is your Olympic record in judo?
Emane: “The atmosphere was outstanding…. The sporting successes were also great, but to be honest, we could have won two more gold medals in the women’s competition. I don’t think I’m wrong about that. The last day of competition was unbeatable, the drama in the mixed team competition – with the dream final between France and Japan and the happy ending for us – in the heavyweight decider with Teddy Riner. It was the best and most exciting thing I’ve ever experienced as a spectator in judo.”
What does everyday life at the INSEP Olympic Centre look like now? Have you personally come to terms with the Games yet, are you already thinking about the Grand Slam in Paris 2025?
Emane: “Only those who are directly involved in the organisation are thinking about the Grand Slam next February. We at INSEP are working on analysing our experiences with the Olympic Team Base Camp and developing our strategy for the coming years. We want to take the Olympic momentum with us… now to the European Club Championships in Montpellier.”
You were elected to the EJU Executive Committee in Budapest on Saturday. As a former world-class athlete and current life coach, what can you bring to the table?
Emane: “I’m looking forward to working with the other 19 members, I’m sure I can still learn a lot. The dialogue with all these experts will certainly be exciting. Every association has different secrets of success. It’s certainly not a mistake to exchange ideas. What can I bring to the EJU Executive Board as a person? That’s a difficult question. But I would say: I know what world-class athletes need. And I’ve learnt a lot as a life coach in recent years when it comes to supporting athletes for their future careers and working with them on life planning. It could also be interesting for the EJU to develop European concepts for life coaching together.”
As an active athlete, you became a three-time world champion, Olympic medallist and five-time European champion, and were number one in your weight class for a good three years. What goals do you have for your future career?
Emane: “There’s still a lot to learn and achieve. Maybe I’ll end up joining the French Olympic Committee or even the International Olympic Committee. But that’s still up in the air. The work in INSEP, for the French Judo Federation and for the EJU – that’s the present. There’s still a lot to do everywhere.”
Author: EJU Media