Martti Puumalainen26, the best and most intact judo day of his career hit an important place on Sunday in Budapest, Hungary, because the Finnish trump card of the sport had a painfully long and weak period in terms of competition success.
The injuries first took a toll on the judo-järkäle’s physique, and after that the mental side was tough as Puumalainen returned to the top tatami of the sport. Before the Masters, Puumalainen had only won 33 percent of the international competitions at the beginning of 2023.
– This year has been pretty weak so far. November would have already been the anniversary of when I was last at the medal matches. There have been problems and the preparations for the Games have not gone smoothly, admits “Marde” to .
For those competing in a heavy series Martti Puumalainen The World Cup in Qatar last May was over in two minutes when the Azerbaijani Ushangi Kokauri pressured the Finn into a third warning, which ended the match with an ippon loss.
– I may not have been able to react strongly enough to the fact that there have been problems. It could have been lightened a bit. However, I believe that a lesson has been learned from it. After the World Cup disappointment, Rokin (the national team’s Slovenian head coach Rok Draksic) down with and we thought about how to move on from that. And it was a good conversation, stresses Puumalainen.
In the Hungarian Masters final, the world number one, Tajikistan Temur Rakhimov bowed to the strong, determined Puumalainen with a wazari. The Finn perfectly withstood the last-minute attack attempts of his rock-hard opponent, being suitably active throughout.
– We have gone through with the mental coach that the tendon would last until the end. Even if I get excited about a win, the most important thing is how I can always reset it. I went into every match with the idea that it would be the only match of the day. I lived in the moment the whole time, that was the secret here, Puumalainen insists.
Judo’s legendary expert/commentator Neil Adams reminded in the semi-final and final stages that Puumalai always has the potential to surprise and the Finn has exceptional self-confidence.
In the semi-finals, Puumalainen beat the world number four, Japan, with a wazari Tatsuru Saito.
– Kondis did not disappoint at all this time. Quite often, I’ve had a little “trouble” before the games, and I haven’t been in 100% shape. This time there were no excuses. I had to win now that I’ve been healthy and trained well.
Before Puumalainen’s feat, no Finnish judoka had won or even won a medal at the Masters. The top 32 in the world ranking of the weight class reach the Masters, and Puumalainen was invited to the tournament only for the second time in his career.
After winning the tournament, Puumalainen was a sought-after judo personality in interviews with the European and International Judo Federation as well as in an exam in a French judo magazine. On top of that, the doping test clicked.
– This was a hard and incredible day! I’ve been busy for a while. Now you start to realize what has been done.
Puumalainen mentioned the day before the race to his roommate, who also competed in the Masters For Valtteri Olinthat this time he is going to beat many judo opponents in a row.
– I’ve felt for a long time that I can win a really tough competition, when I’ve beaten tough guys too. Never before have I been able to defeat so many tough judoka in the same day. Five tough guys fell, the goal was achieved, the exercise non-commissioned officer of the Defense Forces in the Santahamina garrison clapped and thanked Olin profusely for the support he received.
Puumalainen is currently 16th in the world heavyweight rankings and 11th in the Olympic rankings, but will raise his positions significantly in the next list. The competition place for next year’s Paris Olympics is starting to be in the back pocket.
– I can’t bear to think too much about the ranking, even though it looks pretty nice after this. You have to focus only on this moment and continuous development, that’s always the most important thing.
30 years have passed since Finland’s last adult judo competition medal. Jorma Korhonen achieved EC bronze in under 73 kg in 1993 in Athens.
– I assume that training will continue on Monday. I was supposed to go to Zagreb on August 18th to compete, but after the win I’m not going there anymore. November is the European Championship in France, which for me is the most important competition at the end of the year, Puumalainen says.