Making Weight & Everything Else Making weight and everything else | Page 10

Nutrition lost me the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. Actually, it was the
lack of nutrition.
In those days, good nutrition and the education that goes with it, especially
at that level of athleticism, was not as readily available as it is now. I was
favorite for the gold medal that year, and I came home with the silver.
Although this was a wonderful achievement, it was not what I wanted at all.
In 1980, I was in between two weight categories, -71kg and -78kg and I was
experimenting in the latter category in the run up to the Games.
I was successful at the higher weight. I felt strong, stable. In fact I was
undefeated that whole year at the higher weight category. It was the control
I would have over the competition draw that made me decide to go down
to my previous lighter weight – which meant a loss of 6kg. If I had stayed
at the higher weight, I would have been taking a massive gamble, unseeded,
with no ranking, not knowing where I would be drawn, and running the
risk of fighting the competition favorites first. This is not a great strategy.
So I decided to take the less risky route and drop to the lower weight of
-71kg. Little did I know, the weight loss – or rather the uneducated weight
loss – would be my undoing.
Amelie Rosseneu was a student of mine in Belgium from 2009-2012, and it
is thanks to her that I finally learned far more about nutrition, especially for
the sports such as ours, than I had ever before. I only wish she had been in
my support team back in the 80s!
As an Olympic sport, judo stumps most sport scientists as it uses both
cardiovascular systems – aerobic and anaerobic- interchangeably and in very
quick intervals for a sustained period of time. It is very difficult to simulate
these conditions in the gym, other than by doing judo itself. Then you have
to fuel and sustain these rapidly changing situations at their optimal
performance. It’s not easy by any means. But Amelie has lived this, she has
studied this, and she has now created a comprehensive resource that every
combative athlete should have in their arsenal.
In combat, you are always looking for the winning edge, that one thing that
can make the difference between victory and defeat. For me, it was at the
finals of the 1980 Olympic Games, and losing by a split decision. This was