In the absence of stars, the public of Bercy was treated to a rain of French medals at the Grand Slam of Paris thanks to the young generation, carried on Saturday by the 22-year-old judokas Martha Fawaz and Romain Valadier-Picard.
The Olympic Games are still in all heads and they are little to have, six months later, decided to put on the kimono again. Among the Olympians, Shirine Boukli, in bronze last summer, collected the money on Saturday, without getting away from her smile.
But it was rather the Revanchards, the disappointed Paris-2014, which marked this tournament which launched Olympiad to Los Angeles 2028.
When he learned of his non-selection for the games, facing the experienced Luka Mkheidze-finally in money in Paris, Romain Valadier-Picard needed“Go far”. Not on vacation, but at work, in Japan.
“Blood and tears”
“I had a little feeling of inner rage, a little jealousy”he admits. “It was a dream that collapsed, but now the dream continues, I will try to rebuild myself and mark the history of judo”.
See her “Potes” of the training group of “Special Forces” Joan-Benjamin Gaba and Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou shine at the games also made him ” pleasure “: “A group that has been built in pain, in sweat, I will not go so far as to say in blood and tears, but if we can schematize, it was a bit”.
“It is clear that work pays”added, medal to the neck after his Marseillaise, the one who is a soldier and an engineer student in parallel.
“What makes me even more happy is to have beaten a Japanese in the final”in this case Kenta Sekimoto, by ippon after having dropped it twice. It was his first Grand Chelem victory after four bronze medals and one silver.
French judoka Martha Fawaz after his victory in the final of the under 57 kilos against the Israeli Timna Nelson Levy during the Grand Slam of Paris in Bercy on February 1, 2025. / Franck Fife / AFP
Determined, Martha Fawaz was just as much and she has like Valadier-Picard unlocked her Grand Slam counter. In the key “One of the most beautiful moments of (his) life” Before the stands full of Bercy.
Throughout a journey strewn with pitfalls, she notably dominated her compatriot Faïza Mokdar, title holder, then the Israeli Timna Nelson-Levy, European Champion 2022, in the final.
“I am a little outdated, I do not realize”she reacted. “It is a pride, an accomplishment and it marks the beginning of beautiful things, I hope”.
After his bronze medal in December at the Grand Chelem de Tokyo, Fawaz still crosses “A step” towards “The 2028 Olympics, the final goal”.
Books Aimed Buypet
French judoka Shirine Boukli (in blue) during the final of the under 48 kilos against the Japanese Mitsuki Kondo (in white) during the Grand Slam de Paris in Bercy on February 1, 2025. / Franck Fife / AFP
In California, she will no longer want to be “Spectator” And with this in mind, this tournament was “The moment for youth, young people like me, who take their marks, to show themselves”.
For Shirine Boukli, Olympic bronze medalist and triple European champion, the goal was quite different, simply “Return to competition”.
Mastered on the ground in overtime of the final by the Japanese Mitsuki Kondo, Boukli is already looking towards Budapest: “The goal was not there, it is to be world champion in June”.
Another Olympian hired on Saturday, Walide Khyar finished bronze in -66 kg, where Daikii Bouba took the money.
With a large delegation despite the absence of its headliners, France won ten medals on Saturday. Manon Deketer (-63 kg) took the money, and bronze offered Ophélie Vellozzi (-57 kg), Melkia Auchecorne (-63 kg), Enzo Jean (-60 kg) and Maxime Gobert (-73 kg). All aged 20 to 25: new Olympiad, new era.
(tagstotranslate) Depeches