In Rio de Janeiro, the ten-time world champion mainly focuses his training on ground wrestling, where the Brazilian jiu-jitsu wrestlers excel whom he faces in the dojo of Flamengo, the country’s most popular football club, following his title at the Grand Slam of Paris for his great return to competition following an ankle injury in August.
QUESTION: What did you come to Rio for three months before the Worlds (May 7-14 in Doha)?
ANSWER: “In Brazil, we can progress on two aspects: the adversity that there is here, and Brazilian jiu jitsu, which brings a lot of things to the standing-ground connections and the ne waza (combat on the ground) ( …). There are still a lot of things to refine before the Games, I still have a good margin for improvement. This is also why I am here in Brazil, and that I will continue training all over the country. the world”.
Q: What are the main lessons you draw from these encounters with Brazilian jiu-jitsu wrestlers?
A: “It allows me to progress, even if we know very well that they are light years away from us in terms of ground combat. (…) I do not face them to seek victory. I try to see how they move.(…) That’s why I’m here, every time I learn new things that can help me. And what’s more, I have fun, I have fun. Even in suffering I find a positive point to progress”.
Q: How did the ankle injury that deprived you of the 2022 Worlds hinder your preparation?
A: “The injury, I have always known it. If I told you the number of times I participated in injured championships… But it’s true that for this one, I took time to get back on my feet, to get back to my best level. When you get injured, it’s complicated to put the machine back in place. (…) It pissed me off because I lost four months of preparation so that, when I got injured, I was at an excellent level. A few weeks before Paris, I regained some feeling. Now we have to continue, and we mustn’t be in a hurry. We have to take the time, we have three months to prepare for the world championship. (…) The injury slowed down the preparation a bit, but in itself we are not late, we are not ahead, we are good”.
Q: After your victory in Paris, you said you were only at 70%. Do you think you will be 100% for the Worlds in May?
A: “We’ll see, I’m not a guesser. If I can be at a good 100%, or even at 90%, I’ll sign right away”.
Q: You are in Rio in the middle of the carnival. Are you going to take the opportunity to see the atmosphere?
A: “I don’t know how we’re going to deal with the rest days, but it’s the first time I’ve been to Brazil at carnival time, so if I can put my mind to it, of course… Brazil is the country where I had the most victories, two world titles (his first world title, in 2007, and the sixth, in 2013) and an Olympic title (in 2016). been a flag bearer here (at the Rio 2016 Olympics). It’s a country that I love, which has a special place in my head, in my heart”.
Interview by Louis GÉNOT
