This is one of the historical disciplines of the Olympic Games, dating back to ancient times. The wrestling tournament begins this Monday, August 5 in Paris. With in particular the first rounds of the premier category in Greco-Roman wrestling, the heavyweights, where the Moroccan Oussama Assad hopes to shine. “Assad” means lion, precisely, like the sporting emblem of the country. At 25, the child of Kenitra, just north of Rabat, is the only wrestler representing the kingdom, but he hopes to inspire others for the next events. Meeting during one of his last training sessions.
2 min
It was by following his school friends that the teenager Oussama Assad arrived in a wrestling room, where his natural strength did not go unnoticed. At 115 kg, he will have to rely on his liveliness, his mental strength and make the right choices to beat fighters who often weigh fifteen kg more.
“ With my coach, we worked on a lot of strategy points that I will try to put in place… and we will hope that it works. But here, it’s the Olympics, it’s incredible to be with all these champions around you, to see world number 1s everywhere. I hope that in these Games, or the next ones, I will be able to put in a great performance. ” he said.
At 25, Oussama Assad juggles his two daily training sessions with his job in a gym. He hopes that with the support of the authorities, he will now be able to devote himself to wrestling. National coach Moncef Harouch describes a hard-working boy who could serve as an example to the young Moroccan wrestlers he is training for 2028.
” What I really like and appreciate about Oussama is his desire, he is someone who trains properly. He is always motivated, he wants to learn. The Olympics, for us, are the Holy Grail, he will give the best of himself and why not improve as we go along? “To move up a gear, Osama Assad has been training in recent days with a living legend, the Cuban Mijain Lopez who, at 41, is aiming for a historic 5th gold medal in Paris.
Read also2024 Olympics: I tested wrestling for you
►Also read Follow the 2024 Olympic Games on RFI