There is no danger of Shamil Borchashvili resting on the laurels of an Olympic medal. If you ask the judoka about the bronze medal he won in Tokyo seven months ago, the 26-year-old audibly takes a defensive stance: “The Olympics were yesterday, it has to be over one day.” Does he still pick up the medal sometimes? “No, what do I do with it?! If I had a son, I would do it as a father, but not like this.”
For the 26-year-old, the hype that arose around him quickly mutated from a nice change to a sometimes annoying obligation. This is not only a character trait, but ultimately a prerequisite for success: His category up to 81 kilograms is in the middle of the seven-part weight class spectrum, and while the light or heavy dominators last longer, the changing of the guard is the rule in the middle. Olympic champions and world champions usually don’t get far at the next tournaments due to the high density. Borchashvili, who since Tokyo is no longer the hunter, but the hunted, knows this too. “Now I have a name too, I’m no longer a no-name,” Borchashvili has long since made friends with his new role.
Set as number five
The status of the hunted also has advantages. At his start of the season, the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv, Borchashvili is seeded number five on Friday, avoiding the big capazunders until the quarter-finals. Although it is a Grand Slam, the eighth in the world rankings describes it as a “test competition”, but the focus is already on the two-year Olympic qualification that begins in July. “I have to see where I stand now and what I’m still missing.”
His pre-season was mixed. The training camp in Mittersill, which usually attracts more than a thousand top judoka from all over the world in January, was canceled due to the Corona requirements. Instead, the ÖJV men trained in Tashkent (Uzb), but almost all of them contracted Corona there, which was not particularly bad in terms of health given the 100% vaccination rate, but it took time. Borchashvili and his brother Wachid also had to call off last week’s camp in Tata (Hun). Shamil for mild symptoms (“My tests were all negative.”) and Wachid for a bruised rib.
The brothers are still wary of Corona, as their mother was in intensive care with Covid in 2020. “Since her vaccination, our worries have diminished, but they are still there,” says Shamil. Wachid hits the mat in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Filzmoser is planning to climb Mount Everest – from the sea. Starting March 11, she wants to cycle or walk the entire route from the Bay of Bengal. (pue)
Source: Nachrichten
