Tokyo 2020 | Juan Postigos: “I’m going to go out to enjoy my last Olympic Games” | Judo | FULL-SPORTS

For part of the national delegation, Tokyo 2020 it will represent the beginning of an Olympic adventure, some will live the experience for the first time; while others will seek to say goodbye in the best way. It is the case of the judoka Juan Miguel Postigos, who will be at the Olympics for the third time, but this time will be special: he will participate for the last time.

At 32 years old, the ‘Tigre’ will be the only national judoka after getting the ticket to Tokyo 2020 for the continental fee. Postigos fought to enter through direct ranking and give the possibility of another compatriot to enter the other way. However, his main rivals added key points, relegated him and being the Peruvian with the most points, he was awarded the classification by pan-American quota.

With the qualification, Postigos will have mixed feelings for Tokyo, it will be his third and last Olympic participation. Of course, he hopes to be able to break ‘the curse’ of the first fight, since in London 2012 and Rio 2016 he could not win a match. Now, with the mentality of going to “enjoy it”, he will seek to go step by step and see what fate holds for him. testify.

How do you feel having already met the goal, already qualifying for Tokyo 2020?

It was possible to qualify, all the effort made, it has been a very long classification, it has been almost three and a half years, the pandemic made the classification lengthen, that there were many more tournaments, that almost one more year of competitions was added. Thank God things happened. It has been fighting point after point, it has been fighting combat after combat, we have been able to get important fights. My two break points were the 2019 Pan American Games and this year they both helped me qualify for the Olympics. It is beautiful, it is a beautiful moment, but you have to take it easy because now comes the Olympic challenge, which is to get to the Games in the best way and compete well.

You get the ticket for the continental fee, which was one of the possible ways to qualify. How did you handle that issue?

The truth is that with the Federation we have had the same objective of classifying more than one Peruvian judoka. I tried by all means to find the direct quota. In two moments of qualifying I was live: after the 2019 Pan American, which came second, then this year’s Pan American, I was also in the direct quota, only the Grand Slam of Russia and the Judo World Cup in Hungary were missing. The Federation talks to me and we make the effort to go to both tournaments, but in Russia, I was three points ahead of the Belarusian (Dzmitry Minkou), I spent two rounds and my direct rival also, but he reached the final and I lost before quarter-final. So that’s where the breaking point is played. At that time, he was taking the African championship, and the Egyptian (Ahmed Abelrahman) passes me and takes me two squares away from the direct ones. The World Cup came and it was all going out to fight, but it was the World Cup and any tough guy could come out. The effort was made, but the years are heavy, it is not easy to always maintain the same level, we fight with the best of you, but that’s the way the sport is, sometimes you do well or badly. Unfortunately, we could not put in two Peruvians, the one who scored the most was me and that is why they give me the Pan-American quota.

The Pan-American quota was per country, regardless of the categories …

Yes, it is awarded to the one who scored the most among all the athletes in the country, making calculations I did 1843, Alonso was left with 1664 and Yuta also very stuck with 1632, that made the difference in the last part. It makes me a little sad, because I always tried to fight to get into the live shows so that more than one Peruvian can go.

I imagine that the team places its hopes on you, because you are one of the most experienced …

From the first moment that qualifying began, I assumed that role, I knew about my possibilities, from the experience I have, I know what an Olympic qualifying circuit is like, that nothing is said until the last tournament, that the final stretch matters a lot. In the end the Federation did very well, they calculated the events, and we went to all of them, but hey, it turned out that the Belarusian passed well ahead of me, they are things that happen. To thank the support of the Federation, because we were able to fight the classification against great powers. Now it remains to give the best in the Games.

It will be your third Olympic participation, how do you feel? While the previous two were at -60 kilos, now they will be at -66 kilos, how do you think the difference in weight will be? How does it take you, more experienced?

I am going to prepare to arrive well, I think I have nothing to prove to anyone, I simply have to go out to enjoy my last Games that I think that when this is over, it will end little by little, I am not going to retire immediately, But simply to enjoy it, I think that is a plus, when you go out to enjoy what you do, you do it better, then I trust that, that you have to go out to enjoy that moment, maybe it is one of the last at this level. The change of category, I was in 60 twice, but I have been competing in 66 for 5 years, I already know the rivals, I have known how to beat hard people in the category, as I have also known how to lose, it is part of that. I’m going to prepare well to rise to the occasion.

What you say is already a decision made that it will be your last Games …

Yes, this is my last Olympic cycle, because actually since the classification system in judo changed, the truth is that to qualify for the Olympic Games is a huge sacrifice. People do not know, but one has to do between 15 to 20 tournaments a year, to be leaving home, weeks of tours, it is to be in preparation, to always keep the same rhythm of competition, it is a hard sacrifice, so I am At an age in which I am already forming roots, I already have something formed in France, I have my partner, actually, I am going through a stage in which I feel good. I do not rule out that I compete in tournaments like Bolivarianos, ODESUR, some Pan American, I do not rule out that, because I could not get away from judo, it is my life, but doing one more Olympic cycle until Paris 2024, I think my body would not support it. I’m an hour from Paris, so whatever I will be, in the stands.

It is clear that your mentality is to enjoy the Games to the fullest …

Yes, there have been so many tournaments, with so much pressure to qualify, you have competition with those of your category, but also internal competition with those of your country, it is a mixture of things, because these last competitions have been like that, they have been quite a lot stress, everything counted, you won a fight, it counted. I think I should go out with the mentality of enjoying everything, I have been in London, in Rio, those times I went out wanting to win, but I also had the pressure to do well, but things did not happen, it is time to change that mentality. I want to enjoy everything that the rest comes, because the Games are every four years, and that not everyone can compete in it. You have to enjoy it.

Although you have been to two Olympic Games, unfortunately the victory has eluded you. In London you fell in the first round and in Rio you couldn’t win your first fight …

The curse of the first fight, I hope to break it here (in Tokyo). I started doing a third Olympic cycle for things that I wanted, like winning a fight in the Olympic Games, being able to do an inaugural parade, which I never did. By upgrading, I could do the parade and now advance and win matches and go further than I did in London and Rio. I just leave that to fate. for those kinds of circumstances you have to be prepared.

The main objective to win that first fight?

Yes, to be able to break that curse of the first fight, and then when the competition begins to open, let’s hope things go in the right direction, but all part of the first fight, having a good day or bad day, that’s the most important.

You upgraded for these Games, was it a strategic decision?

At the age of 26 it was hard for me to lose 60 kilos, I cut about 8 or 9 kilos, so I went up to 66 and it was much better. I have had better results than in 60, I was able to win my first medal in a Grand Prix tournament, I was one of the first Peruvians to win it. I was one of the first to get seventh in a Grand Slam tournament in Hungary, I have been advancing fights, I did my first Pan-American final, I think the category change was good. Now I lose a lot less weight, because I’m at 71, I don’t cut that hard, I stick with it.

People who don’t know you much don’t know that you’ve already lived in France for many years …

Yes, I have lived in France for 11 years, I came for an Olympic solidarity scholarship, I spent two periods until 2016. Once the scholarship is over, I decide to do a training to be a high-performance judo teacher and I decide to make my life here. It also helped me a lot, being independent. I was lucky to be here during the pandemic, because the State gave a facility for high-performance athletes.

Heading to Tokyo, what will your final preparation be like?

We are going to do two training bases where I am. The idea is to go to Tokyo on July 17 to be able to spend a week, adapt and do judo there. I know it would have been easier to go to Tokyo earlier, but since judo is a contact sport, the Japanese have not yet opened this possibility, the other reason is because my second dose of the vaccine is in the fortnight of July, so I’m going to have to wait to get out.

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