But what still motivates Sandrine Martinet? At almost 42 years old (in November), almost half of which has been spent on the tatamis of the whole world, the French judoka won a new medal, the silver, on Thursday 5 September in the final of the U-20 Paralympic tournament. 48 shillings kg in the J2 category (blind).
In six appearances at the Games, including a gold medal in Rio in 2016, the Montreuilloise (Seine-Saint-Denis) has already climbed to the second step of the podium three times: in Athens in 2004 (the date judo entered the women’s Paralympic programme, sixteen years after it joined the men’s programme), Beijing in 2008 and Tokyo in 2021.
“As many as the other three [médailles d’argent]I avoid them a bit, because I could have done better and I regret the final, but not this one”she said after her last fight against the current world champion, Akmaral Nauatbek. The Kazakh won, at the age of 25, her first Paralympic title.
“It has been very difficult to get here, it is not gold, but it is worth gold”said Sandrine Martinet, before taking part in the award ceremony, holding her medal in her hand to fully appreciate its value.
If he does not regret this final, in which he believes he will be able to “given everything”This mother of two admits to having suffered during her preparation. “We make a lot of sacrifices, I barely went a month without seeing my family, she insists. The preparation was long, painful and difficult. »
Rare longevity
“I’m leaving for part of the week to go to Paris to train at Insep [Institut national du sport, de l’expertise et de la performance] and at the Judo Institute, then I come back home and then there are the training courses, the competitions”explains the physiotherapist, based in Mâconnais (Saône-et-Loire).
The multi-medalist is one of three members of the French judo team (which includes nine qualifiers) invited to train with the French judo elite. “The only difference with judo is the grip of the kimono”, specifies Antoine Hays, director of the parajudo. At the beginning of each combat sequence, Sandrine Martinet must place one hand on her opponent’s sleeve and the other on his back.
Gestures repeated thousands of times by this athlete born with a pathology called achromatopsia, a genetic disease that causes a lack of colour vision and extreme sensitivity to light. On the playground, the schoolgirl first tried her hand at football and then discovered judo at the age of 9. She quickly took part in valid competitions before excelling in parajudo.
“I have known everything”She says this without the slightest arrogance, for it is true that she has built a career of rare longevity, dotted with titles and defeats; harmless ailments and exasperating injuries, such as this fracture of the malleolus that deprived her of the final of the London Games in 2012; of pride in having carried the flag of the French delegation during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games and having pronounced, with the long jump specialist Arnaud Assoumani, the oath of the athletes at the Paris 2024 Games.
Unique prize list
“Sandrine has an exceptional careerretains his coach in the French national team, Cyril Pages. He knew how to raise his standards to stay at a high level, in particular by drawing strength from his physical and mental resources. She considered quitting after Tokyo, but changes in classification and weight convinced her to return to service. “We support him as best we can, Antoine Hays testifies, by creating a cell with a physical trainer, one or even two physiotherapists. »
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Record
This athlete with a unique track record, however, had to fight before making a living from judo. In 2022, he joined the army of champions, in the Joinville battalion, which guarantees him a stable salary. “I don’t know why it was so difficult to get this opportunity but better late than never”, smiles the PSG judo licensee, who can also count on the support of sponsors including Danone and the BPCE Group.
In this new configuration, it is not prohibited, “if the body continues”to extend the adventure until the Los Angeles Games in 2028: “Judo has given me so much, both humanly and athletically, that I don’t want it to stop.” This is what still motivates Sandrine Martinet.
