At 31, she is in one of the best moments of her career after winning gold in Abu Dhabi and Julia Figueroa analyzes it in SUPER along with her future.
He accumulated several podiums, but he lacked gold. How does he know to return to the top drawer of the podium six years later?
I am very happy because it is also my first medal in this competition. He has been competing since 2013 in Abu Dhabi, he had never won a medal and I can now put a green check on this competition. More than gold, the best thing is the way I’ve been competing lately, I’m at a very good competitive level and I see that the work we’re doing is going in the right direction because I’m getting results.
How would you summarize your championship? Some rival only lasted 20 seconds and they also say that some are afraid of him…
It was not a perfect championship but almost. All of us who are on the circuit know the strengths of each one, where to get their hands on them, people know my strengths, where they have to be more careful with me. Each time, the combats are more complicated, but even so, there are fast combats because the strategy works out well, as happened in this last one.
What are those strengths and where should you improve?
My strong point is that I am quite complete, I am not the best at anything but I am quite complete, it is difficult to control, because if they are hanging on the ground I can go out another way and that is my strong point. Every day I try to reduce my weak points to make it difficult for my rivals.
Does this medal from Abu Dhabi make up for the disappointment experienced at the World Cup in Uzbekistan?
They are two different competitions. I prefer to separate them. Two weeks ago, the World Cup did not go as well as I would have liked. When I beat the Olympic runner-up in Tokyo in the quarterfinals, I had my hopes up, but unfortunately I couldn’t do it. On the contrary, last Friday, in Abu Dhabi, everything went perfectly, although in some combat I made technical errors.
What are your short and medium term goals?
In two weeks I have the Grand Slam in Baku and then we will rest until December 21, which is the last big date of the year, with the Master in Jerusalem. For 2023 we have not yet stopped to see all the competitions, after Baku we have a month and a half and we will sit down to see it, but it is clear that the Olympic qualification will be one of the great challenges. I am also close to reaching number 1 in the world ranking, which is a very nice goal.
Are you already thinking of Paris 2024 then?
Yes, but step by step, for now, until next year the competitions that will go before that year will not come out, but more or less we know the usual competitions and the dates. It depends on the points that we need, we will make the calendar.
How do you like to imagine yourself in the next Olympics?
At the moment I can’t imagine it because there is still a long way to go and I only think about the tatami in Baku in two weeks.
But the qualifying tournaments won’t be long…
Yes, qualifying for the Olympic Games is a dream, but I’ve already lived it and what I want is to reach the Olympics with medal options. It’s my goal, but first we have to do a lot of work and continue as we’re going to have a good classification.
What did you learn from those two dates in Rio and Tokyo?
In the end, that it is a day and that you have to be that day. When it arrives, I want to feel that all the work that depends on me is done.
Who have been your role models in judo?
The great reference in Spain was Isabel Fernández, but I was very young. Growing up, I paid a lot of attention to a Japanese woman named Nakamura, but in the end you don’t just have to take references from competitions, but from day to day and there, the references for me have always been Laura Gómez and Sugoi Uriarte , which luckily I now have as coaches.
What gives you the most to work with two judokas with so much experience and success?
The good thing about being with them is that I have shared time both in the competitive field and now as coaches. We know each other very well and there is practically no need not to speak in combat. We always come to the same conclusions, we have the same idea of work, the same way of seeing the fights and, except for small nuances that we talked about before the fight, in general we always have a fairly clear idea of how to face the competitions.
For years it has also been a benchmark for new generations. Do you feel that way? How do you see the future of juice in C. Valenciana and in Spain?
I’m embarrassed, but if I’m an inspiration or reference for someone, I’m very excited. On the other hand, I see basic judo very well, there are people who push a lot since they were young, who have things very clear and we train better and better and have more opportunities and help. They already have a lot of work done, but they have to know that to compete you have to have a lot of grit and the desire to dedicate yourself to it. There is a quarry that is going strong.
You have been in Valencia for 13 or 14 years, do you see your future here when you retire?
At the moment I already have a house and yes, right now I don’t see myself anywhere else, but life takes many turns and when I leave the competition, I still don’t know what I will do, but the idea is to continue in Valencia and linked to sport .
