After becoming World Champion at only 21 years old, Nemanja MAJDOV (SRB) garnered a great deal of attention, and has remained a consistent top athlete of the -90kg category. This year securing the European Champion title and a World silver, only confirmed his status, which he is determined will transpire through to future generations.
In August of this year Majdov hosted the Majdov Academy, alongside Olympic Champions; Lasha SHAVDATUASHVILI (GEO) and Fabio BASILE (ITA).
This year we had 25 countries from three continents, with just under 1000 kids there. It has been a few years since I started this, my goal isn’t only to have good results, and to be a champion, but I want to help people in the Balkan countries. When I was a child, I didn’t have the chance to meet my idols or learn from anyone. I went to Japan and was praying for someone to show me something! Now, I have the ability to bring my friends who are Olympic and World Champions here to teach their skills. It is becoming my main happiness.
In previous editions, well known champions including TOTH Krisztian (HUN), Amandine BUCHARD (FRA), Aleksandar KUKOLJ (SRB), Zebeda REKHVIASHVILI (GEO), Sugoi URIARTE (ESP), TAKATO Naohisa (JPN), Rustam ORUJOV (AZE), Alim GADANOV (RUS) and Mikita SVIRYD (BLR) attended the Academy, delivering sessions to young athletes. There were also junior and senior European and World medallists from a little closer to home; Milica NIKOLIC, Andrea STOJADINOV, Larisa CERIC, Amel MEKIC, Danilo PANTIC and Aleksandra SAMARDZIC.
I didn’t think, when I first started, that it would go in this way and it would bring me such joy. Every year, I can see it in their eyes, and I’m very happy about it. Now I just want it to be better and better, these numbers are crazy for Balkan countries, in France for example, the same scale would be about 10,000!
Off the tatami, Majdov has also started a new project.
Now during this time, I am starting my own line of judogi, but only for kids. We have a problem in the Balkans, it is hard to buy a judogi for a kid because there is a long wait for orders, but now I have started to make my own, it will be called ‘Unbroken’, in line with my brand that I started previously.
When I was a kid I never thought about anything like this, that I would have the chance to do this, but I became World Champion very young, and after this we opened another 100 judo clubs, and then especially where I live, in Republika Srpska, I was the first World Champion of any sport, and became a symbol for them. Because of this, I have good relationships with presidents, and they helped me a lot. My focus now is on the children, and not too long ago I also started the Nemanja Majdov Foundation, there are limited finances in judo and for example where I live we don’t have so many judoka but I want this small group to have success, to be on a programme so that I can send them to tournaments.
Majdov has a club in East Sarajevo, a base where many train, where the current European Champion is proud to say that everyone is welcome,
Many of the people of Sarajevo train in my club, we have full respect for every person that comes, religion does not matter to us, we have full respect for one another and that it the point of this sport. Before the Olympics, both myself and Kukolj (Aleksandar) and Kumric (Zlatko) from Croatia, we were training together. It has been built through medals and our investment, it has taken a lot of work, even as a junior, this money was saved. Now, we have perfected it.
To think that he started judo within his own home with his brother, Stefan and father, Ljubisa, who was voted Best European Men’s Coach 2017, the family have come a long way, looking for ways to better judo where they live.
It isn’t about the final destination, it’s about the journey, and I’m happy with the way it happened for me, I think if I had everything like I have now, I wouldn’t have been a champion. I was hungry and defeat was never an option, now I look at my sons, I wonder how it will be for them, it will be my challenge as a parent because they have it all, and I think in all sports, you need to be hungry for success. Of course my father already has him working [he laughs] but we will see.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen