Like almost every summer, the French judo team takes up residence at the Normandy sports center in Houlgate. Sometimes the boys, sometimes the girls. Generations of French judokas have fallen on the tatami of the seaside resort. And it is still the case today. Until August 31, women participate in a course to which foreign athletes are invited (Japan, Brazil, Kosovo, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Poland).
“It’s a must, says Frédérique Jossinet. The vice-president of France Judo herself wore her kimono, here, many times during her career as a high-level athlete. We feel good there. We are always very happy to return to Houlgate, which has seen the greatest champions of French judo pass at different times.” This is also confirmed by the boss of the federation, Stéphane Nomis, also a former member of the France team: “It’s a great place to train. It’s almost a rite even to pass on Houlgate.”
Rear base of the Paris 2024 Olympics
And the tradition is not about to be lost. Two years before the Olympic Games, the tricolor judokas do not intend to desert the place, which is also undergoing renovation and expansion work. “Normandy has always been there, recalls Stéphane Nomis, and we will be present for 2024. We will continue to come. I hope to sign a partnership with the president of the region within a month to define how the next two years will go for the French team at Houlgate.” Years which will obviously be decisive for the tricolor clan in view of the Paris Olympic Games.
Preparation for the world championships
But until then, in the short term, it is the next global events that the Blues are preparing. Like their male colleagues, the French women will compete for the world championships from October 6th to 13th in Tashkent in Uzbekistan. This is why she takes part in a course with judokas from other countries. “It feels good to change the partners we have on a daily basis”, insists the Olympic vice-champion Amandine Buchard who will aim for the world title in -52 kg. “We can still go for adversity, intensity in the fightsexplains Christophe Messina, the manager of the French women’s teams. It also allows you to confront other styles of judo.”
The tricolor judokas will also tackle, before the end of their internship on August 31, the “famous” steps of Houlgate they are used to climbing. An imposed figure when the France team trains in the seaside resort. A discovery for foreign sportswomen who will compete against them for the first time on their way to the world championships. You have to climb 140. And climb them several times!
– Jean-Baptiste Marie