Born in Japan, judo has had France as a fervent ambassador for years.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the French again proved the importance of their country in the discipline by placing second in number of medals, behind the Japanese hosts.
In the mythical enclosure of the Nippon Budokan, the three-colored judokas - and especially judokats - have distinguished themselves in the discipline.
In individual, Luka Mkheidze, Amandine Buchard, Sarah-Léonie Cysique, Clarisse Agbégnénou, Madeleine Malonga, Romane Dicko and Teddy Riner brought seven medals to France before being crowned in a historic way against Japan in the mixed team competition. .
Anything but a coincidence in view of the place of the discipline in France.
Generations of champions who inspire others
France was one of the first countries in Europe where judo was established.
In 1933, Jigoro Kano, the founder of the discipline, came to give lectures in France on this practice.
Under the leadership of Moshe Feldenkrais and the Japanese Mikinosuke Kawaishi, the sport is developing in France.
In Paris first, then it spread to the provinces after the Second World War.
The first Tokyo Olympics, in 1964, introduced judo into an Olympic sport.
From Munich in 1972, French judo won its first medals thanks to the pioneers Jean-Jacques Mounier, Jean-Paul Coche and Jean-Claude Brondani.
Three years later, Jean-Luc Rougé becomes the first French world champion.
The start of a nice virtuous circle in France where one generation of champions inspires the following.
Catherine Fleury and Cécile Nowak became the first French Olympic champions, in 1992, in Barcelona with the introduction of women's judo.
David Douillet was the first French judoka double Olympic champion in Sydney, in 2000. That year, Séverine Vandenhende, Marie-Claire Restoux and Larbi Benboudaoud, among others, won medals alongside him.
>> To read also: Romane Dicko: from the stands in Rio to the podium in Tokyo
Émilie Andéol, Audrey Tcheuméo, Lucie Décosse, Antomne Pavia, Gévrise Émane, Priscilla Gneto and of course Teddy Riner and Clarisse Agbegnénou will succeed who will soon inspire new vocations.
And all these former champions continue to participate in the influence of their sport.
Want to become the next Romane Dicko 🥉 or the next Teddy Riner 🥉?
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Find a judo club near your home on the #MCPDCM map @FranceOlympique 👉 https://t.co/nAFUFuPVQZ pic.twitter.com/By8dFp9Z1H
- Be Sport (@BeSport) July 30, 2021
"All those who go through the France team, they will then open a small dojo in their province or their suburb. If it weren't for that either, we wouldn't be here today doing fart Marseillaise ", explains Larbi Benboudaoud, director of high performance in the France team, in Liberation.
An education system
Before the health crisis, judo boasted nearly 563,000 licensees, which made it the fourth most practiced sport in France.
All with a tight mesh of more than 5,700 clubs.
With such a reservoir of judokas, the probability of the appearance of great champions increases.
"Judo has not developed so much as a sport but as an educational system. The French Judo Federation has always made sure that the teachers are professionals. We have the confidence of parents", underlines Jean-Luc Rougé, who was after his fifteen-year career at the head of the French federation, interviewed in 2018 by Business Standard.
The federation thus insists on the moral code of judo which is based on eight values that all young judoka must retain in the same way as the various holds.
And David Douillet, two-time Olympic champion, humorously emphasizes one of the advantages of judo over other sports that can play this role of channeler, such as boxing:
"A mother, when she registers the little one, she is a little afraid of kicks and punches. In judo, no. We fight, we take the kimono, we roll on the ground, everything is fine," explains David Douillet on RMC Sports.
"Jigoro Kano created a sport, yes, but above all he created an education system through physical discipline. It's quite astonishing."
Insep, the heart of the French performance reactor
French excellence is also due to the detection system put in place.
With official competitions from the youngest children (11-12 years old), everything is done so that talents are identified by high-level structures and are encouraged to join a sports-study section - the local Hope Center and, for the best, Insep (the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance) on the outskirts of Paris
This multisport institution is described as the "heart of the reactor" by Stéphane Traineau, 1991 world champion and former head of the French teams, in an interview with RMC sports, for the switch between leisure practice and that of the highest level.
"From 15-16 years old, they must be acculturated as quickly as possible, so that they enjoy training and fighting," explains the one who was also a double Olympic bronze medalist, explaining that it is important to mix as much as possible generations.
"You have to make people dream a little and not slow down the talents. I trained with great champions. The day you hold them high, you are on the right track."
The French model threatened?
The fact remains that apart from these Olympic Games, French judo is losing speed on the international scene, especially for men.
Stéphane Traineau warns: "There are no longer any small countries. We must remain extremely vigilant. The mattress has shrunk."
A drop in performance which has led to changes at the head of the French federation.
Stéphane Nomis, 50, put an end in November to fifteen years of reign of Jean-Luc Rougé at the head of French judo.
Its objective is clear: to restore its greatness to the discipline.
The Tokyo Olympics seem a good starting point.
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