Not selected for the Games and injured in her knee at the end of 2023, the Héraultaise reached the final of the European Championship in Croatia last week.
We can see, in difficult times, what high-level athletes are made of. Considering what she has been through, Blandine Pont has the makings of a great champion.
Indeed, the end of 2023 was a series of disappointments for the judoka trained in Castelnau-le-Lez. Not selected for the European Championship in Montpellier in November, she had the pain of learning that the French judo federation preferred to entrust the only ticket in – 48kg for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to Gardoise Shirine Boukli.
“I suffered a lot of disappointment”
Finally, Blandine Pont ruptured the internal ligament in her right knee during the Tokyo Grand Slam in December. “I suffered a lot of disappointments, confirms the 25-year-old from Hérault. As a high-level athlete, we tend to always push our limits, to go for it. In Japan, my body told me to stop. that I stop, that I settle down, that I take a step back Finally, if I had not suffered this injury, I think I would still be in a form of negativity.
Back in January after her operation, she had to rebuild herself both physically and mentally: “I told myself that I still had deadlines to meet. So, I couldn’t let myself fall too low, I I was taken into psychological care. I became more involved in my work at the hospital and in my artistic activities. This allowed me to find oxygen to face things more positively. other passions which allowed me to move away from the world of judo and refocus on myself to rediscover a taste for simple things and then for judo at a high level.”
“A spiritual journey” in Japan
La Castelnauvienne finished her preparation in Japan where she left alone for two weeks. “When I resumed judo in January, I knew that I wanted to return there to find pleasure in my practice. I knew that I would find the best mental and physical sensations there to come back in time: humility , wisdom, calming. This spiritual, sporting and athletic journey has done me a lot of good.
Five months after her injury, Blandine Pont returned to the tatamis in competition last week at the European Championship in Zagreb, Croatia. After a flawless run until the final, the judoka entered in – 48kg won silver, her first medal of her career in a major championship. “I feel contradictory feelings, she explains. On the one hand, I am proud because I worked hard for months to try to find this level. To achieve it at the Euro when I resumed, it was important for me, on the other hand, I think the title was within my reach, so it’s a big disappointment.”
A future category change
Beaten by a Russian opponent in the final, Pont seemed to re-injure herself in the same place during the fight: “In this match, I felt comfortable, I attacked from a little too far away, which meant that she countered me. At that moment, I hurt my knee and she scored. The rest was more complicated, I came out of my match and then, I repeated the same attack with the same feeling. on the knee.”
So, if her body allows it, she will participate in the world championships (from May 19 to 24 in Abu Dhabi), her main objective at the end of the year, before turning to new challenges next season: “I I decided to move up to -52kg, the higher category. It will be a new start, a new way of practicing my sport, I can’t wait to be there.”
2024-04-29 15:33:24
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