As the days go by and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games approach, Agustín Gil, the judoka from Cordoba who suffered an injury months ago, intensifies his preparation to return to the ring and gamble his chips on traveling to the French capital.
Jorge Lencina’s disciple must strike a delicate balance between speeding up his times to have a chance of scoring the necessary points in the remaining competitions, and not forcing his recovery and running the risk of getting injured again.
For now, Agustín has not taken a break, he is already doing some judo exercises and the smile returns to his face.
“I’m going step by step and without rushing, because everything could go back and it would be a strong blow. But I see progress every day, every time I come to the gym, or now that I’m jogging leisurely. I feel good, I have to recover first,” explains the judoka.
Their times are well marked: recovery until January or February, and then compete to try to enter the Olympic Games. And with the remaining tournaments, there is no choice but to aim for the most important ones on the world calendar, which are the ones that award many points. And there are the best.
“We aim to be in the important conversation, if we aim lower we will stay below. You have to aim high, and with my technicians we always aim high, and stay there. And it is inevitable that as we progress we will meet the top in the world,” she warns.
“For me the experience is a lot. My rivals live in Europe and compete much more than us, and all the best circuits are there. Technically and physically it could improve, but we are fine, and tactics and strategy have a lot of influence. Knowing how to fight each different style adds up, and you have to plan a good tactic and strategy to beat them; Knowing the weaknesses and the way to counterattack the rival is key,” she clarifies.
Agustín trusts his Argentine National Team coaches and staff, Jorge Lencina, to put together those strategies.
“All the things we do, all the experience we gain, influence decision-making and we gain experience. At first it is shocking because you measure yourself against the best in the world and you compete with Olympic or world champions – highlights the man from Córdoba. After going from fighting in small stadiums to very large stadiums, like the Grand Slam in Paris, which is one of the best tournaments in the world; with a high number of competitors; and with people watching, cheering, shouting. “It’s like being in a football stadium, very different from those made in America.”
Judoka is not affected by “the people or the stadium, there are people who are. Personally, I try to focus on the fight. Although the rivals are difficult, I try to focus on the fight and on myself to get through to the next round.”
And he adds: “on the tatami I get motivated. When you enter a tournament, you enter to win it, not to have fun. Or yes, to have fun, but above all to win, you do everything possible for that. And the other comes in for the same thing. That is what leads you to want to surpass the other, because you want to look for what is yours and what you have worked for so many years. I have been doing judo for 18 years and we pursue the goal of participating in the Olympic Games, and if for that we have to beat this or that person, I will try to do it. After the fight nothing happens, when we leave we shake hands.”
For the athlete from Cordoba, the Argentine athlete is characterized by “the grit and trying to fight it all the time. He impacts the person’s temperament, we are born with it and it shows. Unlike Europeans, who have a more determined and helpful life. On the other hand, the Argentine does not, all the time it is fighting it, fighting it, and by fighting it so much, character is formed.”
The talk drifts into different aspects. That he feels very comfortable in his -81kg category because “the 90 kilo category is a big difference in terms of height, that in the Pan American Games in Santiago “he could have gotten a medal”, and that you have to always be a good person, because the The athlete’s career is short “and then you have a life ahead of you.”
-Would it frustrate you not to go to the Paris Olympic Games?
-It wouldn’t frustrate me. I did not have the same opportunities to score points as the rest of the participants. The Argentine team is a very young team, we have just begun to participate in the world circuit, to score points on a large scale, at the beginning of 2023. The level of Europe is much higher than that of Latin America, although it is growing. Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States are doing well. And we have also been adding. We don’t have as much experience as the rest, but we take advantage of every experience to grow and we are taking advantage of it more and more.”
And he concludes: “I am in a very good moment. I have time to recover, and if these are not the Games, they will be the next ones for sure, and with more experience. Of course, qualifying for the Olympic Games is one of the biggest events, and it is always my goal to participate in them.”
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2024-01-19 00:21:56
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