1,538 days or 220 weeks have passed since Daria BILODID (UKR) stood at the top of the international stage with a gold medal around her neck. Back then, she won the Grand Slam in Paris in front of a full house in the Bercy Arena. In the meantime, she has moved up two weight classes – from -48 kg directly to the -57 kg category – and has just managed a victory at the lower-ranking Senior Cup in Riga. As number 14 in the IJF world rankings, she travelled this week to the European Judo Championships in Zagreb.
“I finally have a major title again after four long years,” emphasised the 23-year-old, beaming with the gold medal. “It feels really good to know that I can also win a -57 kg tournament. This comes just in time for the Olympic Games in Paris.” Two months ago, in mid-February, she finished third at the Grand Slam in Baku. “The European Championships were only my second competition this year. In between, I was at home, in Kiev, training. It took me a while to find my competition rhythm today. The decisive factor was that I was really strong mentally. I convinced myself: I can do this, why shouldn’t I win. And luckily it finally worked out.”
When asked about the Olympic Games in Parisafter the awards ceremony, Daria Bilodid was unusually defensive: “A lot still has to happen before then. I still have a lot of room for improvement. In terms of numbers, I’m at 60 or 65 per cent, no more!”
Before the Olympics, she will only take part in the World Championships in Abu Dhabi and “a training camp in Benidorm at the beginning of July”. The rest of her preparation will take place in Ukraine, partly in Kiev and partly in the mountains. “I want a second Olympic medal around my neck in the Champ de Mars arena, preferably gold.”
Author: EJU Media