The 41-year-old Frenchwoman was beaten by Kazakhstan’s Akmaral Nauatbek in the final on Thursday, despite a crowd fully behind her cause. A fifth Paralympic medal all the same for her XXL list of achievements.
At the Arena Champ-de-Mars
The great lady of French para judo was surely dreaming of an even better day. But Sandrine Martinet, 41, can be proud of having won the silver medal on Thursday in Paris, in the visually impaired category B2* (-48 kg). Her fourth of this metal after Athens, Beijing and Tokyo, and the fifth Paralympic medal in total for the PSG Judo member, crowned in Rio.
Buoyed by the excited crowd at the Arena Champ-de-Mars, who roared with pleasure this Thursday for the great return of judo, the Parisian was unable to beat the world number 1, Kazakhstan’s Akmaral Nauatbek, in the final. Her opponent quickly obtained a waza-ari before concluding the affair with an immobilization. Earlier in the day, Martinet had nevertheless dispatched the German Isabell Thal in the quarter-finals before getting out of a very bad situation in the last four against the Chinese Li Liqing.
Coming out of retirement for Paris
Looking back, her presence on the tatami mats of the Arena Champ-de-Mars on Thursday was already a huge victory after the failures in London and Tokyo. In the English capital, Sandrine Martinet broke her ankle in the semi-final and said goodbye to the podium. In the Japanese capital, she was named flag bearer but was beaten in the final. The disappointment, coupled with financial reasons, led her to end her career, at the age of 38 at the time. The Frenchwoman ultimately changed her mind to participate in the Games for a sixth time, at home, in front of her two children.
«Only fools never change their mindsshe confided to the Figaro a few weeks ago. If I decided to push the cork three more years, it’s also because it was Paris. The Games at home, with my family, my friends in the stands and the whole crowd behind us, that’s what I want.“The least we can say is that she was served. The spectators shouted for a long time “Sandrine, Sandrine, Sandrine!” in these aisles where just a few weeks ago the “Teddy, Teddy, Teddy !» and the «Romanians, Romanians, Romanians!“Insufficient to carry the lucky chosen one to the final victory.
With five Paralympic medals, three world championships, one European championship and twelve French championships in her bag, Sandrine Martinet can leave the tatamis with peace of mind. Unless, carried by the irresistible energy of Paris, she tries her luck again in four years in Los Angeles. She has proven that she still has some up her sleeve.
* Sandrine Martinet has suffered from achromatopsia since birth – a rare retinal disease that prevents her from distinguishing colors, making her very sensitive to light and greatly reducing her visual acuity..
