Main Category: Sports Category: Martial Arts Published: January 3, 2024
By Sean McGinley
The Speyer judoka Michel Adam is ending his competitive sports career. For the 26-year-old, who was German champion in 2018 and 2021, the time has come to start a new phase of life. In the end, it was bad luck with injuries that played a big role – something Adam struggled with repeatedly throughout his career.
“Bad luck with injuries has always haunted me – I had four major injuries, and after the last one I said: If something like that happens to me again, it’s over. And now the time has come: I’ve injured myself again, and in the face of this injury The 2024 Olympic Games are no longer realistically achievable. That and my current professional situation make this a good time to make the hard decision to take a different path and no longer be in the national team. But it’s nice to be able to make such a decision yourself to be able to meet when it is the right moment for you, instead of waiting for someone else to say: ‘You’re out because you’re no longer good enough,'” says Michel Adam. This makes it easier to look back on the last few years with satisfaction and happiness, and not just because of the sporting successes: “My time in competitive judo was a very nice and fulfilling time in which I learned a lot. I met a lot of friends and gained a lot of experience and developed myself further. Thanks to all the support, I was able to concentrate fully on sport – that’s a great privilege that only a few people are granted.” Among the best memories that Michel Adam takes with him from his active time are third place at the U21 European Championships and his first German championship title in 2018 – “Because those were successes that I didn’t think were possible at the time,” says Adam . The promotion to the 1st Bundesliga with the JSV, together with many other young fighters that he knows from the training group in Speyer, was also such a highlight. This year there was another great experience, taking part in the Universiade in China, which he counts as one of the best of his career.
Adam is in the final stages of his medical studies in Munich and will now begin his practical year. He had put it off until now because the shifts of eight hours or more a day are not compatible with the training workload of a competitive athlete. From now on, Michel Adam’s everyday life will look completely different – which is certainly attractive when every day and week is no longer scheduled and geared towards training and competition. “I’m happy to have more time for everything else the world has to offer. I’ve already started getting involved in a student initiative and helping out at the train station mission and I’m excited and curious about lots of new experiences,” he says 26 year old.
Nevertheless, no one will be surprised that Adam will not cut all ties with judo at once. “When I go to training, I still notice how much I love this sport. I have completed the trainer B license and could imagine getting involved with the JSV or the associations.” And what’s more, the JSV fans probably haven’t seen him in action for the last time: “I definitely want to fight in the next Bundesliga season,” announces Michel Adam.
2024-01-03 10:25:15
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