The 41-year-old parajudoka has no regrets after her final loss on Thursday. “Challenge accomplished,” she says.
Sandrine Martinet, 41, won her fifth Paralympic medal on Thursday. Beaten in the final by the world number one, the French parajudoka settled for silver, as she did in Athens, Beijing and Tokyo. She expressed her great pride and is eager to return to her family.
How do you feel after this silver medal?
Sandrine Martinet: We are always disappointed to lose a final. But I am very, very proud of this silver medal. The other three (in Athens, Beijing, Tokyo, Editor’s note)I sulk at them a little (laughs)because I could have done better, and I had regrets about those finals. Not about that one. There, I gave it my all, I had a great day. A few months ago, I didn’t know if I would be able to be here and compete in this way. The challenge was successful, the medal is here, at home, with an extraordinary audience. A big thank you to all those who made this project possible, thank you to the Federation, to the Army of Champions, to my sponsors, to my training partners, to all those who took care of me, the physiotherapists, the osteopaths and others. Thank you all. I am very very very proud. I was impatiently waiting for the moment to return to my family. Even if it is in defeat, it is a wonderful moment. I want to enjoy everything that awaits me with this beautiful medal.
If I have the means to train and take care of my family, if it becomes professional, if we are given the means, why stop now?
Sandrine Martinet
We saw a big hug with your family after the fight…
It had been a month since I had seen them. The preparation was long, painful, difficult. We made a lot of sacrifices. I was often absent, injured. It’s hard for me and for them, but we have no choice. When we decide to embark on this project, it’s as a family. We do it wholeheartedly. They are going through a lot and it is with great pride that I bring them this silver medal. They are proud of me and I am proud of them. It’s wonderful.
Are you going to go back to the Los Angeles Games in 2028?
I don’t know, I’ll continue, I don’t know how far I’ll go. If I have the means to train and take care of my family, if it becomes professional, if we are given the means, why stop now? If I still enjoy it, if my body can keep up, we’ll continue a little longer.
What keeps you running after so many years of judo?
What I have been experiencing for years thanks to judo has changed my life. It has brought me so many things: my husband, my job, my children. The human story that I experience every day thanks to sport, everything I have learned during all these years, it is incredible. We do not want to stop, we want to continue learning, learning and learning again, and to take all these extraordinary moments that I experience here in Paris, with this public. I intend to celebrate this at the France club.
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