For her sixth Games, Sandrine Martinet wins a silver medal that is “worth gold”

But what still motivates Sandrine Martinet? Almost 42, almost half of whom are treading the tatamis of the entire world, the French judoka won a new medal, silver, on Thursday, September 5, in the final of the Paralympic tournament in the under 48 kg category J2 (visually impaired).

A metal that she seems to appreciate since, in six participations in the Games, if she won gold in Rio, in 2016, the Montreuilloise had already reached the second step of the podium three times: in Athens, in 2004, Beijing, in 2008, and Tokyo, in 2021. The 2004 Games marked the entry of judo into the women’s Paralympic program, sixteen years after its arrival among the men, at the Seoul Games.

“As for the other three [médailles d’argent]I’m a bit sulking at them, because I could have done better and I had some regrets about the finals, but not about this one”she said after the last fight against the reigning world champion, Akmaral Nauatbek. The Kazakh woman won her first Paralympic title at the age of 25.

« It’s been so hard to get here, it’s not gold, but it’s worth gold”noted Sandrine Martinet, before participating in the victory ceremony, clutching her medal in her hand to fully appreciate its value.

If she has no regrets about this final, during which she believes she “given everything”this mother of two children admits to having suffered during her preparation. “We make a lot of sacrifices, we are often away from home, I have just spent a month without seeing my family, she insists. The preparation was long, painful, 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 go home and then there are the training courses, the competitions,” explains the physiotherapist, based in Mâconnais.

The multiple medallist is one of three members of the French judo team (which has nine qualified) invited to train with the French judo elite. “This is also the case of Hélios Latchoumanaya and Nathan Petit, says Antoine Hays, the director of para judo. The others prepare in their respective regions, but all confront seers, it is in our daily practices. The only difference with judo is the seizure of the kimono.

At the beginning of each combat sequence, Sandrine Martinet must place one hand on her opponent’s sleeve, the other on the lapel. These gestures are repeated thousands of times by this sports enthusiast born with a condition called achromatopsia, a genetic disease that causes a lack of color vision and extreme sensitivity to light. In the playground, the schoolgirl first tries her hand at soccer, then discovers judo at the age of 9. She quickly takes part in able-bodied competitions before excelling in para judo.

“I’ve known everything”she says without the slightest arrogance, so true is it that she has built a career of rare longevity, punctuated by titles and defeats; by minor injuries and infuriating injuries, such as the fractured ankle that prevented her from making the final of the London Games in 2012; by pride in having carried the flag of the French delegation at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games and having pronounced, with Arnaud Assoumani, the athletes’ oath at the Paris 2024 Games.

Unique record

“Sandrine has an exceptional careerretains his coach in the French team, Cyril Pages. She has been able to raise her standards to maintain a high level, drawing strength from both her mental and physical resources. She was considering quitting after Tokyo, but the classification and weight changes convinced her to return to action. We supported him as best we could, testifies Antoine Hays, by setting up a unit with a physical trainer, one or even two physiotherapists.”

This athlete with a unique track record had to fight hard before making a living from judo. In 2022, she joined the army of champions, within the Joinville battalion, which provided her with 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 does not prohibit itself, “if the body follows”to extend the adventure until the Los Angeles Games in 2028: “Judo has changed my life, it has brought me so many things, humanly and sportingly, that I don’t want it to stop.” This is what still makes Sandrine Martinet run.