On January 9, 2023, Stephanie Garciawith 34 years -more than half of them dedicated to judo-, made public through his Instagram account a difficult decision: to end his career as a professional athlete.
He felt that he would no longer have the same opportunities to make a career towards what would be his fourth Olympic Games, Paris 2024.
“I decided to change categories to do this new cycle heading to Paris, because it was very difficult for me to lose weight, so for health reasons I went up one more category (from 63 kg to 70 kg). I was given the opportunity to go to the Pan American where I fought for a medal and showed that I was at the level; however, when I met with the president (from the Ecuadorian Judo Federation) He told me that the priority was not me, that if I had to decide for other athletes they would do it and not for me… They would give me the guarantee if I wanted to pay for some other event, but that I was not in the plans to the Federation to qualify for Paris”, Estefanía told EXTRA in interview via Zoom.
The judoka points out that her 34 years would be the main reason why she would not be considered, hence, after analyzing it with her family, she decided that it was time to end this chapter of his life.
During his sports career, García has been part of several teams, not only for international judo events, but also for those of the Olympic Cycle, of which he has fond memories. “I am proud to have been able to represent the country and have had the honor of carrying the flag of the Olympic Games, in Rio 2016”, she says.
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Although she has not yet decided the direction her life will take, Estefanía keeps training, since according to what she admits “a high performance athlete cannot stop”. The judoka has other professional titles, including sports training, and she acknowledges that she already has some proposals.
Ibáñez: “The quota should be prioritized”
Roberto Ibáñez, current president of the Ecuadorian Judo Federation, confirms the departure of García and the generational change that the organization is making in its athletes. “A female judo legend is leaving, the athlete with the most results in history of our sport… I hope she never disassociates herself from judo because of everything she knows”, she specified.
Regarding the bad taste that the athlete gets, Ibáñez emphasizes: “Indeed it was like that. Estefanía had many injuries, she was showing that her performance curve was going down and the technical commission began to give us those lights. On the other hand, Celinda Corozo, who also covers the Estefanía category (70 kg) had already won her some rankings… she had to prioritize resources and aim them at the new 70 kg that was Celinda, who today is in the Alto Plan Performance and is the first in the National Ranking”.
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