The Junior Athletes Meet the Legend Teddy Riner on the Second Day of Training in France
The young judokas are keen on recording this historic moment. The activities will be held until February 13th, with a break to watch the traditional Parisian tournament.
Meeting the idol is always a happy moment, considering especially the younger athletes. On the second day of training of the junior team at INSEP, the famous Olympic Center, the new Brazilian judo talents had the opportunity to be on the same mat with a sports legend, the world six time-heavyweight champion Teddy Riner.
And they wanted to record the moment and post it on their social networks. Among those who took a picture with the idol are Gabriel Oliveira (90kg/SP), Jessica Pereira (52kg/RJ) , Layana Colman (52kg/MS) , Tamires Crude (57kg/RJ) and Sibilla Faccholli (+78 kg / SP). But two athletes caught our attention. The little Larissa Farias only 1.46 m and 44kg looked even smaller on the front of the \"giant” Riner who is 2,04 m and has 131kg .
\"I just had seen him on TV, but today he was so real! I feel wonderful! I am very happy for the opportunity to be with him and train in the same place as the French national team, \"said the athlete from Mato Grosso do Sul state.
Another one who also celebrated the \"amazing day\" of meeting the French legend was the heavyweight João Cesarino (+78 kg / SP); however, he has not had the opportunity yet to grab Riner’s judogui because on Tuesday he just participated in the functional training.
\"I can say it was my dream coming true. I felt very small next to him; I have no words to describe this meeting, \"he said.” I\'ll give my best because I know that even though he is a legend, anything can happen in a fight,” Cesarino added, thinking about a possible confrontation with the rival and at the same time his idol.
Apart from the French national team that will compete in the Paris Grand Slam and other athletes from this country, the judo training sessions were attended by judokas from Kazakhstan and Germany. These sessions will continue until next Friday, the competition’s eve. The training camp activities will resume on February 10th and the juniors will be joined by their senior counterparts who competed in the GS. The training will last until February 13th.
\"It is the third year when the Junior Brazilian Team comes to Paris at the season’s beginning. And this uses to be very fruitful because our athletes have the opportunity to train with others who are very prepared. Moreover, this way they can attend the opening event from the senior calendar of the International Judo Federation. It is at the Grand Slam Paris when all the modified rules are applied for the first time, \"said Kenji Saito, the Performance Director of the Junior and Cadet Teams.
