The man who inducted Swiss judo into the Olympic Games
The Jurassian won Olympic silver at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He remembers his epic, the rage that was at the origin and the happiness that resulted from it.
Posted today at 09:23
Éric Hänni at his home in Portalban, with his silver medal, which he won at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964.
David Marchon
The grip is firm, the frame dry and robust. IT’Sric Hänni, 82 and a half, looks a lot like his chalet in Portalban. Anchored in the ground, raw, made of warm wood. Here, much more than ears, the walls have a mouth. With lots of stories on existence and judo, since the two are inseparable.
In the entrance, in the living room, everywhere, photos, press clippings, trophies and various relics tell a fate on tatami. And then the crown jewel, which will come out of its frame to be immortalized once again: the silver medal of the Olympic Games in Tokyo 1964, won in the lightweight (less than 68 kilos).
