"At a World Championship you have sometimes up to eighty participants in some weight categories. It’s obvious that you might encounter the very best early in the tournament. Let’s not forget these are the Worlds and let’s be honest, a World Championship is still something different than any other tournament. Even if you have to compete in the first round against a lesser opponent, it’s always unknown territory,” opinions the Coach. “As an athlete, it's the trick to stay calm, without worrying too much and then look at the end of the day to see if that helped and what the outcome is," says Mark van der Ham.
"There are about eighty judokas per category of whom about five will be the real contenders for the medals. Imagine you meet such a contender in the first round … You don’t want that,” adds the Coach. “However, sometimes you’re lucky. But say, you get to fight three rounds against very strong opponents, then yes, a draw can be decisive indeed."
Some athletes never look at the draw result, like Austrian Sabrina Filzmoser, who told her secret to the media yesterday at the press conference following the draw. "True, one athlete looks at it, the other does not," agrees the coach. "It is important for the athlete that he or she always gets the best out of him or herself and mounts the tatami ready. The draw is one thing. It determines who you meet on your course towards the medal podium. Nothing else. Sometimes that works to your advantage, sometimes it’s the complete opposite. Consequently, if the opponents you wanted to dodge, are eliminated by other judokas, it can help you to stay on the medal track. However, there are no guarantees of course."