World bronze medallist and 3-time Olympian Hedvig Karakas (HUN) has been involved in the sport for more than 25 years. She retired from elite competition in 2022 and has been working with the International Judo Federation ever since, now focused on delegation services and logistics. Hedvig was happy to talk about her experiences and what she has learned during the last quarter of a century.
Why did you stay in the sport for so long, through injuries, moments of doubt, other difficulties?
“There was never a question. It was always natural and obvious to me that I should try no matter what. I didn’t know who I was without judo so in this way maybe it was easy to stay. The benefit of staying in judo for so long is perhaps that although my life had many strands and changed in many different ways over the years, I had a routine in judo, one which I always understood.”
What did you learn through the years?
“I have to try to keep this answer simple because really it is complicated and deserves a lot of time and consideration, but there are themes through this whole 25 years which stand out most. Maybe I can say something like this, in just one or two sentences, a summary: only you can shape and change your destiny. You must do everything with passion and stay committed beyond professional sport, if you want to create something in life.”
When your elite athlete career finished, why did you still stay?
“I love this sport; all my life was here in judo. I didn’t want to quit and leave it behind. That would have been a huge change and something big would have been missing from my life. I want to do more than just be a judoka in this sport. Now I want to do more for athletes in my ‘delegation services’ role. I try to make this challenging life better for the next generation.”
What Hedvig describes fits in very neatly with the philosophies of judo’s founder, Jigoro Kano, illustrating ‘jita kyoei’ (mutual prosperity for self and others) as both an idea and a feeling. Happy International Women’s Day, Hedvig. Thank you for your contribution to judo now and as an athlete.