Home crowd powers Paralympics veteran Sandrine Martinet to judo silver
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France's Sandrine Martinet celebrates after winning silver in the -48kg J2 classification in judo at the Paris Paralympics.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – French athletes have been given a hero’s welcome whenever they are in action at the Paris Paralympics and judoka Sandrine Martinet certainly felt the noise as she claimed silver on Sept 5.
The 41-year-old was beaten by world champion Akmaral Nauatbek in the -48kg J2 classification for visually impaired competitors, in front of a raucous crowd of more than 7,000 at the Champ de Mars Arena.
The scenes in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower were similar to the support during the Olympics for the home judokas, who included Teddy Riner, the double gold winner in the French capital.
Avid Paris Saint-Germain fan Martinet added a fourth Paralympic silver medal to her haul in Paris, having also won gold at the Rio Games in 2016.
“I’m really proud of this silver medal,” she told reporters with a grin on her face.
“The other three I sulked a bit, I could have done better, but not in this one. This one, I gave it my all.”
Martinet, who has two children, had a smudge of blue makeup on her cheek after a celebratory kiss from her daughter, who had a French flag painted on her face.
She has been away from her 10-year-old daughter, her teenage son and husband for a month as she trained for the Paralympics at France’s national institute of sport.
“I’m really proud, I couldn’t wait to see my family again,” she added.
“The preparation was long, painful, difficult, I made a lot of sacrifices. Even if it was after a defeat, I wanted to make the most of it, it was great.
“I knew at the end of the day, once I had given my maximum, whatever happened I would experience that magnificent moment with them.”
France, which has already surpassed its overall medal total from the last Paralympics in Tokyo, is expected to win more precious metal in judo over the coming days – and seven more judokas are expected to receive a similar welcome to Martinet from the passionate crowd.
When Martinet claimed her first silver in Athens in 2004 she was 22. Undeterred by age, she has set her sights on Los Angeles and a seventh Games in four years’ time.
“I have the means to train and look after my family as things are becoming more and more professional for us,” she said. “Why stop now? I’m still enjoying it. If my body follows and I keep loving it, we’ll continue.” AFP
