Confidence growing despite Hamburg defeat
by Euan Burton - GB Judo
by Euan Burton - GB Judo
03 March 2008
Hi guys,After the excitement of Paris, it was back to business in Hamburg at the German Super World Cup.The training camp in Paris had gone really well for me and I felt sharp and strong in the days leading up to the comp. Unfortunately that sharpness didn’t come through in my performance.
I lost to Antonio Ciano of Italy by two small scores and when he lost his next fight I was out of the competition. One fight and out. A stark contrast with my seven matches in Paris. This is judo.
Ciano is ranked in the top 10 in Europe and is a ferocious competitor who I had never previously fought outside of training. I made some mistakes and got caught up in winning the gripping battle (which I did) but somehow forgot that to win matches you actually need to attack!
The most important thing is to analyse what went well and decide how to improve upon the things that didn’t. There is no time to wallow in self pity, especially in Olympic year.
The competition as a whole was not producing fantastic British results, and even the phenomenon that is Craig Fallon could not pull off a medal-winning performance.
Craig is, in my opinion, the greatest judo player in Britain today, but the nature of our sport means that there are no guarantees and his three World Cup winning streak came to an end against an awkward Greek player.
In fact the only medal of the weekend came from the youngest member of the British team.
Sally Conway showed no sign of letting the occasion overwhelm her and stormed to the final of the -70kg category, beating players from Senegal, Italy, Russia and China in the earlier rounds.
Quite an achievement, especially when Matt (Purssey) and I decided we couldn’t remember the last time a British female had beaten a Chinese opponent at the top international level.
The final was a nervous affair with the experienced Cuban eventually winning by a yuko and a koka. Clarky (Sarah Clark), Matt and I were all so nervous during the fight we could all have been physically sick. The players at the Edinburgh Club are like family and with Sal being the youngest it makes us even more anxious for her.
It was a fantastic result and the points have put her right in the mix for Olympic qualification. At 21 years old, she is seven years ahead of me in reaching her first World Cup final! Great work, Sal.
Most of the team were down to compete in Prague or Warsaw, so they left straight after the competition, but I stayed in Hamburg for the camp.
To me this is the real job of being a judo player. The daily grind of training is something that I really find satisfying. Sitting down with my coach Billy Cusack at the start of a tough camp and deciding who I will target in the week, which players I need to get a hold of and what parts of my fight I will focus on.
From there it is down to work, battling it out with the world's best and trying to come up with ideas, answers, solutions. I love it. It’s a really big part of what gives me my pure love of the sport.
Sometimes on the way to a training session on a big international camp I sit and smile to myself. The situation to an onlooker must be so surreal. Busses full of guys, from all over the world, travelling to a hall to beat each other up! Then going back, getting some food and doing it all over again in the evening.
Day after day after day. It’s a mad situation but one of the things that makes the sport so great in my eyes. Can you imagine Man Utd, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Porto and Milan all sending their best players onto a pitch at the same time for a massive kickabout? It’s kind of like that!
The camp goes so well that on the flight back from Hamburg to London I feel on a massive high. The tournament might not have gone to plan but I feel stronger than at any point in my career and I really believe I have the ability to defeat anyone at -81kg.
In fact the camp went so well that I regularly practised against some of the top -90kg guys to really test myself. Perhaps I was pushing it when I went on to fight Gasimov (the Russian -100kg former European Champion) but luckily it was a good natured fight and he looked after me!
Anyway, I’m in the airport sitting waiting for my flight back to Edinburgh now. When I get home I’ve got two days off before the preparations for the European Championships start in earnest.
We will leave for Portugal in just under six weeks, some fighting for qualification, some for preparation, but all looking for the chance to call ourselves European Champion.
Finally, thank you so much for your messages of support on the website. It really is an awesome feeling to know that you guys are behind me and the British team.
Please, please spread the word, let people know about the site, get people talking about judo and especially British judo. We have a fantastic sport, it can give so much to so many people from all walks of life.
I will drop another blog in before the Europeans to let you know how training is going and as ever I will try to answer any questions you have.
Catch you all soon,
Euan
fonte (photo include): BBC Sport - UK
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