Frenchwoman Sandrine Martinet won a silver medal on Thursday, September 5, 2024 in para judo, for her fifth participation in the Paralympic Games. In the final, she lost to Akmaral Nauatbek, from Kazakhstan.
At 41, the triple world champion, gold medalist in Rio during the Paralympics of 2016, was still in the spotlight. In front of her home crowd at the Arena Champs-de-Mars, the Frenchwoman brought the entire room to its feet for her fifth Paralympic Games.
From Athens 2004 to Paris 2024
Sandrine Martinet leaves the world of judo through the front door, with money around her neck. A medal that she went to get with rage: ” I am happy with this performance, I gave everything on this day. It is with the help of the public that I won the semi-final (against the Chinese Li Liqing, Editor’s note). »
Then, in the final, Sandrine Martinet had to face her formidable Kazakh rival Akmaral Nauatbek, the scarecrow of her category. I have no regrets, she was above me. The goal for me was a medal. It was difficult to get in a year where I suffered quite a bit. ” she admits just after kissing her daughter as she leaves the tatami.
« I wanted to be in Paris, I wanted to get a fifth medal. This is my fourth silver and it’s magnificent. “, says the one who is pleased to have finally had the means to work peacefully. The level has increased so much. Para judo has become very demanding. If you are not in the training centers with the able-bodied, it is difficult to claim a medal. ” she explains.
- RFI
