The most critical always think that after the Olympic Games the best ones disappear from the map to recharge their batteries, assume successes and failures and all those things. It is true but not entirely, because in the galaxy of our sport there are many stars and not all of them do the same. In Croatia, for example, two world champions, a man and a woman, will wear a judogi for the first time with the red patch that accredits them as new world champions.
He is Yago Abuladze, the prodigy of the Russian Judo Federation who, in Budapest, won the gold at -60kg with authority and offered a spectacle in all his bouts. He could have gone to Tokyo but his federation decided otherwise and perhaps today they regret not having taken him. They do take him, on the other hand, to Zagreb and it is worth going to see this 23 year old man because his judo is feline, predatory, not passive. With him there is guaranteed fun, no matter what happens. In addition to being world champion, he is world number one, which says a lot about the Croatian tournament, capable of bringing together established figures.
The other one is Barbara Matic. She is Croatian and she is at home, which means support but also pressure. In Budapest, like Abuladze, Matic completed a masterful performance, with epic stamina included in the final, to win and also take the lead in the –70kg category. Being a champion and a leader means perseverance, that is, talent worked daily.
There is more; there’s another number one, who was a favourite at the World Championships but crashed in the final and then again in the quarterfinals in Tokyo. He is probably the best at –81kg but he lacks a little experience and maturity to go all the way just yet. His name is Tato Grigalashvili and he is a Georgian judo phenomenon, at just 21 years old. Always offensive, with a great variety of movements, we are talking about a man who, if he focuses on the mental aspect, can reign for a few years. He will also be in Croatia.
This is the trio who anticipate great things in Croatia. They will be well accompanied, because in judo nothing is easy. There will be Armen Adamian, Andreja Leski, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Astride Gneto and Audrey Tcheumeo. All of them have won international tournaments, even Olympic medals. They are veterans of the World Judo Tour and they are armed to win in Zagreb.
Then they appear and this is always interesting: young and not so young people looking for a place among the tangle of champions. They are more anonymous, with less travel and much less glory, but they await their moment, an opportunity to show that they also have a right to the spotlight. There are almost three hundred and they long for their own battle of Thermopylae. Whether they succeed or not, the truth is that the winners will have to go through there, an always narrow path that leads to victory.