Judoka Martti Puumalainen says that he was not in the best shape at the World Championships, which ended in disappointment, for reasons beyond his control.
Martti Puumalainen goes to the Paris Olympics starting in a month with moderate expectations.
Finland’s judoka, who was considered an Olympic medal hope, lost a month ago at the World Championships in the opening match in the over 100 kg category. The man from Puma bowed to the Russian To Valery Endovitskiwhen the Finn received three warnings in the races held in Abu Dhabi.
In early May, before the World Championships, Puumalainen participated in two grand slam competitions in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.
There was a loss in the first match in Dushanbe. In Astana, Puumalainen won his first match in the opening group, but lost his second match. Puumalainen finished tied for seventh place.
Puumalainen, who won the heavyweight European championship last year, says that he has now suffered from health concerns.
– After the World Cup, there were quite a lot of investigations. I wasn’t in the best shape for reasons beyond my control, Puumalainen tells Urheilu and says that there have been difficulties throughout the spring.
Puumalainen does not want to specify his health problems in more detail, as he considers them private matters.
Puumalainen was at a camp in Croatia for a week in June. In the coming month, he will go to one more foreign camp. There are also camps in Finland so that Puumalainen gets spars from abroad.
Now, according to the heavyweight judoka, we are living through the last tough training sessions. The person from Puuma feels that a solution has also been found to health problems. With that in mind, he goes into the last preparatory month with a good mood.
Is the Olympic medal still the goal?
– If the best matches of the year come and I’m in good shape, I can fight for a medal. Now I’m probably thinking more about getting a successful preparation and as good matches as possible. It was so difficult here that those World Cups ate a bit of self-confidence, Puumalainen puts it.
Puumalainen will compete at the Paris Olympics on August 2. The opening of the Paris Olympics is scheduled for July 24.
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