French judo prepares its revival in Montpellier with Paris 2024 in mind

The route of the French judokas to Paris passes through Tashkent (where the world championships will be held from October 6 to 13) but before it is diverted through Montpellier. In Creps more precisely. Without their sacred monster Teddy Riner, the French men’s team has put their judogis on the Hérault tatami. A team in full construction that aims for the next two Olympics (Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028). “We are in a conquering state of mindslips Christophe Gagliano, the Blues coach appointed in January 2021. With a mixed team between experienced people and very young people coming out of juniors. We take this somewhat latent option since in an Olympics we try new things. Here we have chosen to take this logic of youth and audacity to the next level. »

the youth card

One of the main suppliers of Olympic medals thus begins a transformation, somewhat accelerated by the delay of the Tokyo Games (from 2020 to 2021). “It worked because there is normally a detection phase and a selection phase. We were clearly forced to reduce these observation times and to make choices in terms of strategy having only had a short year to observe these athletes », analyzes Christophe Gagliano. For Tokyo, the France team concentrated on their starters, somewhat neglecting to take over. “There may be training work that has not been done before, Gagliano concedes. In September it was not easy to assess who could be in this project. We dared to do certain things. We had some confirmations. It shortened the build time a bit, but going faster might breathe new life into the team. »

The French judo team, therefore, has decidedly bet on youth within two years of the meeting that excites all French athletes. “For a long time we have been cautious about the choice of athletes, their age. When you see quality and talent, you should not hesitate to get involved”.assumes the French coach. “But that’s what our competitors do, they don’t hesitate. »

This is the case of Romain Valadier-Picard (-60kg), who left the Montpellier camp to compete in the junior world championships in Ecuador, from where he hopes to recover a title. Or Maxime-Gaël Ngayap-Hambou (-90 kg), who is aiming directly for world and Olympic gold.

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No Rinse

However, the road to Paris is without Teddy Riner, at least the presence of the triple Olympic champion is quite rare during the tricolor rallies. “We have the greatest champion of all time who is French who is attempting this challenge of seeking a title in Paris. It’s a big project for him, too bad it’s not a project with the France team, complains Christophe Gagliano. Teddy is the tree that hides the forest, but the forest is dynamic. »

An absence and a real regret for the tricolor coach “There is always a feeling that judo is just Teddy. It does a lot of service to French judo but it also exists without it. Our role is to support these young people. What I regret is that the two do not intersect or very little. Teddy is an example, a dynamic for the group that we don’t really benefit from. As head of the collective I would like to be able to trust him, in his charisma, so that the team is inspired by him. »

This does not prevent the Blues from considering the future, near and far, with some optimism. “We have several athletes who give energy to the whole team. The Paris project drives everyone. We are working on it, but we don’t think about it. Let’s not let ourselves be eaten by the stakes. We are moving forward and building on this 2024-2028 logic. We have to restart everything to find this French judo that is renewed from Olympiad to Olympiad. » The World Cup in Tashkent will be an indicator of the progress of the project.