“I will enjoy every moment”

Published on : 14/07/2021 – 13:32

With our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac

Push-ups, footwork: Mbagnick Ndiaye, 27 years old, 130 kilos, does the exercises on the tatami, near the family home: ” We are at the national dojo in town, where I started my first steps in judo. That’s where it all started, at the age of five. I had cousins, friends who did judo, I quickly fell in love. »

African champion in the over 100 kg category in 2019 and 2020, this is the first time he has participated in the Olympic Games. The judoka feels ” very happy and very serene, I can say that it is a dream that has come true. I am really proud to be able to be the flag bearer of the delegation. There is a bit of stress, but here I am not going to set specific goals. I’m going to take the fight-to-fight competition to try and make the most of every moment of these Olympics. »

A family matter

A calm, humble athlete, perhaps a little too much, according to Abdou Karim Seck, his trainer and director of the national judo teams: “ If he’s explosive on the day of the competition, he can take it all, because technically he’s very, very good. But he’s not mean. He is tender for a champion. He has to be a lot harder on the mat, because people aren’t there to have fun. »

To go even further, Mbagnick Ndiaye has notably trained with the French champion Teddy Riner. Judo, a family affair: his little brother Saliou Ndiaye, 25, a smaller size, won the bronze medal at the last African championships.

► To read also: Judo: Senegalese Mbagnick Ndiaye retains his title of African champion