Boasting of being a three-time Olympian (London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020), Pan-American medalist and five-time Bolivarian champion in his 10 years immersed in high competition, is not enough for Juan Miguel Postigos to look calmly at the future today. The concern of the judoka, recently champion of the Valledupar 2022 Bolivarian Games and who lives in France, lies today in the reduction of the economic support he receives from the Peruvian Sports Institute, which prevents him from deciding if he will finally continue on the path to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
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—What is your current situation in the IPD’s ‘Athlete Support Program’ (PAD)?
—My annoyance is more against the methodologists. Before Tokyo 2020 and as part of the PAD I received 3,600 soles, when I qualified for the Olympic Games I began to earn a little more, but as usual, after the Games I had to return to the level I was before. However, it was not. Tokyo 2020 ends and they put me two levels below the one that corresponded to me.
“Who decides that?”
—I met with my Federation, with the president María Martínez, and they immediately spoke with the methodologist from DINADAF (National Directorate of Affiliated Sports) who watches judo and he tells them that there is no mistake, that is what corresponds to me . My federation asks him to justify that and he couldn’t do it. The Federation wrote a letter arguing my results so that I could be raised to a higher level and he ignored it, he beat himself up in what they told him.
Juan Miguel Postigos is a three-time Olympian and a five-time Bolivian champion. Photo: IPD
“In what month did that happen?”
-That was in March, the following month I got a Silver medal at the Pan American and the Federation made the formal request, they told him that he would return next month, speaking of May, but it was not like that. After winning the gold medal at the Valledupar 2022 Bolivarian Games, the Federation spoke with him again and said that he was going to evaluate him.
—What is the methodologist’s argument?
—When asked, he says that he acts according to his manual, but he has no criteria. Going to the Olympics has no merit for him. All of this seems disrespectful to me. I am an athlete who has complained very little, I have no scandals, I go out in the press for my results and this affects me a lot. This takes away the athlete’s confidence and generates extra pressure because we already know that if you don’t get results, they take away the PAD.
—Did you speak with the director of DINADAF, Silvia Pérez, with the president of the IPD, Máximo Pérez, or with his adviser, Elena Mantilla, about this?
—The day of the farewell ceremony and flag ceremony for the Bolivarian Games in Valledupar, I had the opportunity to talk with the president of the IPD, I explained my case to him and he told me not to worry, but that he does not see that, but Silvia Pérez. And try to get in touch with her. I did not go further because the Bolivarian Games were already upon me, I concentrated on the competition. Many methodologists work under an office manual and do not know anything about high performance. This is unfortunately what is happening in the IPD.
Juan Miguel Postigos is a three-time Olympian and a five-time Bolivian champion. Photo: IPD
“Are they all new methodologists?”
—In my opinion, yes, Vladimir Armenteros was there before and, unfortunately, he is no longer there. The one in charge of judo today is Juan Carlos Gonzales.
“Has your Federation’s support been constant?”
—My Federation always supported me in everything, they have stood up to the IPD today and are fighting to return to the level they were before. I know that the budget they give to the Federation is distributed equally, they send me to tournaments and training camps, they comply with me 100%. I am grateful that they have even accepted the trial year that I asked for in order to make the decision whether or not to go to Paris 2024.
—Is what is happening an obstacle to thinking about Paris 2024?
-Of course yes, how can one work towards a big goal such as the Olympic Games if one does not feel supported. You are working day by day and that does not work in sport, it scares me to think about the future. I don’t have sponsors either, I work (he fixes train cars) because it’s a way to subsidize my daily cats, to pay for my house, water, electricity, etc., and at the same time I train. If I had extra support, I would go to Paris 2024 with everything, but the little support that I have left, which is from the IPD, is being taken away little by little.
—Ten years in high performance and you have no sponsors
-I don’t explain it, maybe it’s because I’m not that marketer, but if I had a sponsor I would do it, I’m not against that. Only I have not been able to find one, I know that a sports marketing consultant is required, a company, but when I knocked on the door of these companies they closed it in my face. I thought that perhaps I do not sell, since in Peru the scandal sells.
—Why today if you touch the subject?
-Today he brought this up or I speak because I find myself in a situation in which I train and work, if I want to get to Paris I need extra help to replace or replace the work I do every day. I am no longer 25 years old, I am more in a stage of family life, with established things, I am no longer alone. If I want to concentrate 100% on the sport, I need it. There are many tournaments a year, training to be ready for each competition, that’s quite difficult. As long as I don’t have a company that tells me ‘I’m going with you until 2024’, I can’t venture to make that important decision. My job is what helps me survive.
—The Government, through the IPD, awarded the Valledupar medalists
—I imagine that this prize will come to me because it is for all the medalists and I was gold. It is a pleasant surprise because it is an extra help, but we cannot cover the sun with a finger. These types of awards encourage the athlete, but you can’t do something well with one hand and erase it with the other.
“What’s next for you?”
—The South American Games in Asunción, which are important, but they are going to intersect with the Judo World Cup, there is not even a week between one and the other, but I hope to be in both. Mentally I have to be prepared to seek a medal in both.
—Today the results obtained in Valledupar are compared with the previous Bolivarians and many wonder, what happened?
“There’s more than one reason. The calendars have been adjusted due to the pandemic, the Bolivarians should have been last year. In karate, for example, we did not have Alexandra Grande because she had to give priority to the World Games. There are athletes who had to choose between one or another competition. It also goes through the support from the IPD that discourages and the athlete feels pressured, in addition the budget for sports decreased and the Federations have fewer resources. There is also a generational change in some sports. A deeper analysis needs to be done.
Juan Miguel Postigos is a three-time Olympian and a five-time Bolivian champion. Photo: IPD
