Haloed by its brilliant participation in the last African Championships won hands down, the national team (men/women) of judo will try to surpass themselves to achieve a better harvest than that of the previous edition in Tarragona (Spain), obtaining 2 bronze medals.
However, for the appointment of Oran, the city which saw the distinction of Algerian judokas in continental events last May, the mission will be difficult, because the level will be higher compared to African games. The national technical director (DTN) Samir Sbâa is aware of this. He was the first to recognize the difficulty of the task, especially after learning about the participation of world and Olympic champions. “Certainly, the task promises to be difficult, especially in the presence of world and Olympic champions representing major nations in the discipline, such as Spain, Italy and France. But we still remain optimistic about the ability to achieve an honorable participation, especially if the luck factor is on our side, ”he insisted. That has Algerian internationals turning their eyes to Tuesday’s draw, praying to inherit opponents close at hand in the early rounds to give themselves the best chance to go as far as possible in this tournament. “Running opponents in the world’s Top 10 in the first rounds is not like meeting them in the semi-finals, because it allows you to hope for a medal, instead of leaving the competition early”, further explained Samir Sbaa. The DTN and all the members of the technical staff also know that the psychological aspect is decisive in this kind of event. This is why we are paying particular attention to this component, and this, since the group landed in Oran, as underlined by Samir Sbaâ, who said he was “very satisfied” with the preparation conditions, which his athletes benefit from at the level of the Mediterranean village, while waiting to enter the official competition. On the workforce side, the technical managers of the Greens opted for stability, and this, by renewing the same judokas who had distinguished themselves during the African championships, which took place on the same site which will house the judo tournament of JM (Mohamed-Benahmed convention center). “We will compete in the JM with the same squad that won the last African Championships last May. Experienced athletes, who should transcend themselves during these Games because the competition will take place here, but also to conclude in style, because many of them are in their thirties, ”said the DTN again. Indeed, some athletes like Kaouthar Ouallal (-78 kg) and Sonia Asselah (+78 kg) are very close to the end of their career, a major incentive to aim for the podium and prepare for their exit through the front door. The judo events (men and women) of the 2022 Mediterranean Games will take place from June 29 to July 1.
