Despite all his efforts, his joy is written all over his face. Heavyweight Stephan Hegyi (+ 100/SC Hakoah/W) is back after a break of almost five months and an Achilles tendon operation as part of the Valencia training camp (ESP, August 21-26). In order to prevent the risk of injury again, he is not yet training with colleagues from the +100 kg category, and also omits certain exercises out of caution. “But Stephan makes a happy and physically strong impression in training, he’s getting closer and closer to his comeback,” emphasizes ÖJV head coach Yvonne Snir-Bönisch. JUDO AUSTRIA asked Stephan Hegyi for an interview.
2022 the (second) cruciate ligament tear, this year in March the Achilles tendon tear including surgery. Stephan, in the last two years you’ve been able to compete in three tournaments and spent most of the time on rehabilitation. Now your competitive comeback is just around the corner. What is your personal timetable?
Stephan Hegyi: “It’s about time I got back into Randori training. Of course I missed judo. The training is relatively monotonous if you can only actually do a small part of the exercises. But it’s getting better week by week. Soon I will be able to do everything again. Here, in Valencia, I still consciously train with lighter sparring partners (ie -90/-100). From next time it will also be my colleagues from the +100 kg category… At the moment we are assuming a comeback at the Grand Slam tournament in Baku (AZE) in mid-September. I should also be there at the European Open in Prague at the beginning of October and at the European Championships in Montpellier in November. As long as everything goes according to plan by then. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. Two serious injuries in two years is more than enough.”
How is the training camp in Valencia going for you personally? Are you happy with your progress?
Mountain: “In terms of sport, things are going as planned, I feel fit and am getting closer and closer to my old form. I’m enjoying being back in training. I really missed the judo units in particular. What particularly bothers me here in Valencia are the temperatures above 35 degrees. Except for training, I leave the (air-conditioned) room after 10 p.m. and go for a walk. But I’m glad that my everyday life as a competitive athlete is getting back to normal. The really difficult days are behind me.”
You slipped down to 87th place in the Olympic rankings because of your injuries. At the moment you are about 900 points short of qualifying for Paris 2024. How do you personally assess your chances of getting hold of an Olympic ticket?
Mountain: “Of course I would like to be further up the field. On the other hand, there are still a lot of points to be awarded until the end of the qualification phase in June 2024, at European Championships, World Cups, Masters, lots of Grand Slam tournaments. So I absolutely believe in being able to do it.”
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