Never Give Up!

For Sagi Muki, today all the lights are green because not only did he succeed in his tournament by winning the gold medal, but he did it with the talent that we know of him and the same mastery as at the time of his world title in 2019 in Tokyo. So it's certain, talking today is probably a little easier, but it is nonetheless true that the time and the friendship that Sagi Muki devoted to us is very precious.

"I feel really good the day after my day of competition. Physically, I have no problem, a few minor sores, but in judo we don't talk about injuries. My fingers suffered a little, it's normal, absolutely nothing serious. So I can say that I feel in great shape. Mentally too, winning here was a goal of course, to have achieved it this way is the icing on the cake and I will not complain about it.

I slept really well, for four hours. The rest of the time, I had to answer to all the messages of support and congratulations from the public." To illustrate the beginning of our point, when Sagi received hundreds of messages, it took no more than 5 minutes to respond to our interview request. This is the availability we were talking about earlier.

"I felt really good from the start of the competition. I didn't have to cut weight, it was ideal, even if I know that in the months to come, I will have to put on some weight, to be physically stronger."

Every time Sagi Muki stepped on the tatami, you could feel that the whole audience was accompanying him. “The support I had from the crowd was unimaginable. I realised yesterday, I owe a lot to the public as well as to all my team who were behind me every second. It was magnificent and it allowed me to produce my best judo."

We're not going to lie, the last few years, since the 2019 world title, have been difficult for the Israeli champion, "It's hard to explain now what worked yesterday and what didn't want to work for months. I'm training hard, I'm doing everything to succeed, but it wasn't working. I was missing something that I can't define yet. It will come with time and analysis. For now, I want to focus on this day which went perfectly. In each fight, I got on the tatami with more self-confidence, with more desire to win, with the right fighting spirit. I was focused and ready. It's like all the planets lined up yesterday. Everything was connected.

A few weeks ago in Portugal, I finished at the foot of the podium, in a difficult fifth place but I felt that something was happening. Maybe I just needed a little more."

Whether that little extra was the support of the public or simply and most certainly the addition of all of Sagi Muki's training sessions, what is certain is that it worked wonderfully.

"In the final, that's where I felt the best. Everything was just in place but beyond my performance, there is a message, a message for young people. As a top athlete, we always have to face challenges. No matter how many times you lose, you must never give up. I am world champion, twice European champion, an Olympic medallist with my team in Tokyo. I proved that I could do it and still I suffered, I had injuries and the uncertainty of being able to perform again, but here I am. I came back and I won again. For the youngest it is important to understand this. I want to say to everyone that you must never give up, you must always believe in it, again and again. For this you need courage and judo teaches us courage."

Sagi Muki's goals are crystal clear, "I want to be world champion again, I want an Olympic medal in Paris in 2024. With my gold medal yesterday, I know that it is possible.

The most difficult thing in judo and in life in general is to move forward. You should never sit on your achievements. You always have to learn, have new weapons, find new motivation. This year, I can tell you that I totally regained my motivation."

Sagi sees beyond the medal and the performance. As a top athlete, he is aware that his role does not end with competing, "We competitors are ambassadors on the tatami and off the tatami. We have a message to deliver and we must embrace it. I am very happy for instance that my country, Israel, has welcomed the IJF Refugee Team so well. This is what judo is, above all. It allows peoples and countries to connect. I am convinced that one day, the peoples of Iran and Israel will be friends and that judo can play a role.

I really want to underline the role played by the IJF and President Vizer and his whole team. They make judo useful and necessary at all levels of society. When I see what is happening in Turkey, as a judoka and as a citizen I am touched and I want to be able to help too."

Sagi Muki is an example of those athletes who are not just winning or losing machines. They are human beings aware of the role they play in society and the impact they can have especially on the youngest.

Yesterday we celebrated the victory of a great champion who overcame the difficulties that life threw in his way. Today we celebrate the man who calmly reveals his message to us: Never give up!

We heard it and we are ready to share it.