Par Joseph CANU
Published on
A consecration.
“I didn’t want to let go! “. These words sum up the attitude of Melissa Saint-Pierrecrowned veteran world champion (40-44 years) in -70 kg, in the Tauron Arena in Krakow (Poland). When after 40 seconds of combat against the Ukrainian Mariya Khrystova, the member of the Judo club of Villiers-le-Bel (Jcvb, Val-d’Oise) obtains ippon on haraï-makikomi (a mowing of the hip while rolling), she does not believe it.
“I continued to immobilize my opponent on the ground. The referee had to insist on telling me that it was over, that I had won, ”says the protege of Frédéric Feuillet and of Didier Le Foulgoc.
High level senior
“By taking a penalty from the first action. I understood that the strategy of the Ukrainian was to inflict me three shidos to disqualify me. I then took the initiative and made the difference, ”says the Mauritian, from Rodrigues (the smallest island in the Mascarene archipelago), who had previously beaten the Belgian De Landtsheer. This title rewards his career as a judoka, which began almost 25 years ago in Grande-Montagne.
“A year later, I finished 3rd in the Mauritius Championship. Then, a series of good results (2nd at the 2007 Indian Ocean Island Games, 3rd at the 2008 Commonwealth Championships, 5th at the 2009 Francophonie Games, 7th at the 2009 African Championships) gave me the opportunity to train in France and then to settle there in 2010”, explains the judoka.
Come-back
Mélissa tastes the high level on the tatami while being a facilitator in school (at lunchtime then in sports). “I took part in the Grand Slam in Paris in 2011 and the Worlds in Bercy and reached the final of the France Fsgt (2012) and the national tournament in Cergy (2013)”, she recalls. However, in 2014, she quit judo to start a family.
“The judgment could have been final,” said the mother of two children. “But at the end of 2018, I felt the need to resume”. In 2021-2022, her first season under the colors of the Jcvb will have been a success: victories at the Elven and Tours tournaments, title of vice-champion of France and… above all the world title. His feat joins that of the other great figures of the Jcvb: Roger Vachon (3rd at the 1981 Worlds in -95 kg), Samah-Hawa Camara (2nd at the 2014 Junior Worlds in -78 kg) and Rémi Feuillet (qualified for the 2021 Olympics in -90 kg). kg).
Julien BIGORNE
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