Valledupar (Colombia), Jun 30 (EFE).- Retaining the judo crown in Valledupar was no coincidence. Behind the 13 medals that Venezuela obtained, six of them gold, in the XIX Bolivarian Games there is a whole preparation strategy that combined mental training, an extensive camp, unity and a lot of heart.
“There was a lot of sacrifice to obtain these results,” Karen Isabel León, who won the gold medal in the 78 kilograms, told Efe.
In addition to León, Elvismar Rodríguez (70 kg) also climbed to the top of the podium, who pulled hard on the cart with an extra dose of motivation as the flag bearer in the jousts.
The other golds came with Fabiola Díaz (52 kg), Kady Cabezo (57 kg) and Carlos Alexander Páez (90 kg), in addition to first place in the mixed team to revalidate the Bolivarian title obtained in Santa Marta.
“We have a team with experienced athletes and others who have been rising from youth to adult. The youth who competed gave results that we did not expect. The claw of the Venezuelan was seen, the desire they have to represent the country in games that are the beginning of a cycle for them,” the president of the Venezuelan Judo Federation, Katiuska Santaella, told reporters.
22 WEEKS OF PREPARATION
For judoka Carlos Alexander Páez, the great confirmation of the Venezuelan team in the Bolivarianos, the results in Valledupar are the product of detailed planning and the discipline of a group that endured the demands to succeed in that first step to Paris 2024.
“The work we did was very good. We had 22 weeks of preparation. We went to different events and trained in Spain. It helped us. All of us who came took a medal and in the team event we went with everything,” Páez told Efe, Bolivarian champion in the 90 kilograms in his first competition as an adult.
The 20-year-old athlete, a native of the Portuguesa state, indicated that this long concentration, in addition to the work in Valencia, allowed them to reach the competition in optimal physical, technical and mental conditions.
“We even had a professional psychologist there, a Venezuelan who lives in Spain. The desire was also there, and as long as there is desire and we are prepared, we will always go for the best,” said Páez.
For León, this preparation cycle required more effort because it was a “quite long” process. The illusion of obtaining that first place in the drawer led her not to lose focus.
“It was a bit complicated. It was 22 weeks, one passed and there were 21 left. Each time we saw it longer, further until we landed and we are already with our medals,” said the 24-year-old judoka, also champion in Santa Marta 2017.
UNION AND HEART
In the competition, the conditions were extreme due to the temperature. There were days of 33 degrees and the Coliseo Colegio Bilingüe de Valledupar was abuzz. The Venezuelan team also faced that in its participation.
Elvismar endured “very strong heat” in the fights he had to win the gold in 70 kilograms. “It had been a while since I felt so exhausted in a competition, but heart was what was left over,” the flag bearer told reporters.
Another aspect that influenced the success, according to the athletes, was the brotherhood that was created during this process. “We are a family and we are very connected,” Páez released.
The team event was a true reflection of that. Each took charge of their match with everyone’s momentum.
They even called Luis Mauricio Amezquita “the hero.” He got even with the result in the 100 kg, in which he was bronze, and achieved the definitive victory to become absolute champions of judo in Valledupar.
“We remain united to be able to reach Paris 2024. There is strength in unity. There is a whole heart for a country,” León concluded.
Jeimmy Paola Sierra
(c) EFE Agency
