The Matić family are justifiably proud of their love for judo. Both Brigita and Barbara have been practising this gentle way of life since they were young. They have shared so many happy memories together, including bringing home a medal each from the juniors worlds back in 2013. Since then, Brigita has retired but has remained her sister’s biggest cheerleader in the background. Having a record of her own, Brigita has experienced a lot of emotions over the past few years, including the difficult decision of disengaging from the elite level. The last two weeks have been particularly intense for her.
I gave birth to my baby girl on 16 July, 15 days before Barbara’s competition day at the Olympics. Every woman knows how hard postpartum is and how your hormones run wild, so you can imagine how much I cried watching her, especially when she won the semi-final.
To top it all off, our parents and Barbara’s boyfriend were in Paris to watch her live and I was so sad that I had to watch it through the TV. The whole year, talking and thinking about that day made me cry, I was more nervous on the day of Barbara’s fight than when my baby was born [she laughs]. It was always harder to watch her than it was to fight or do things for myself. I always wanted more for her.
When I quit judo, it made me even more emotional to watch Barbara fight, because when I was with her at competitions, I knew that my presence helped her as much as hers helped me when I was fighting. But I always try to help her by sending her messages, telling her what I think she needs to hear before the competition.
From your point of view, what was the difference in Barbara between Tokyo and Paris?
Maybe she didn’t believe in herself that much in Tokyo, even though she had won her first world title a few months before Tokyo. But now in Paris she was unstoppable, I told her it looked like the easiest tournament she had in a long time. She was so dominant and it couldn’t have ended any other way.
Still, the original plan was to do this together one day right?
That’s true. When I decided to quit judo because I couldn’t get back to the level I was at before the birth of my first child, I was sad for a long time. We had always dreamed of winning the Olympics together and when I quit, I felt I had let her down. So this gold medal made my sadness go away, my heart filled with pride and joy, my eyes full of tears for days now because she did it.
Her winning an Olympic gold medal made our childhood dreams come true and she made me the happiest and proudest sister in the world. I have always admired her and followed in her footsteps and I am so happy that my children will have someone like her to look up to and be a role model for.
Barbara Matić is Croatia’s most successful judoka, known for her technical prowess and uplifting competitive spirit. Her achievements have contributed significantly to the popularity of judo in Croatia and inspired many young athletes in the region but most importantly her sister and close family members. Hvala, Barbara!
Images: Gabi Juan / Croatian Judo Federation / Serbian Judo Federation / Brigita Matić
Author: Szandra Szogedi