So, at 31 years old and with limited time left on the competition circuit, why did Giuffrida choose the 2026 Dushanbe Grand Slam? She has almost every medal an athlete could ever want. The Olympic qualification period is about to begin and one could be forgiven for thinking that maybe that would be the focus.
“I wanted to compete in Dushanbe before I retire because many people told me that there is nowhere like Tajikistan, and they were right! I wish that every judo enthusiast, once in their life, will experience this. I am glad that Dushanbe will host the World Judo Masters in 2026, so I can return and experience how nice the local people are once again.
After the Europeans, I felt I had nothing left, but the atmosphere here gave me power. The Europeans were exhausting because there are plenty of great athletes and every opponent is strong. However, emotionally I was one hundred percent well and after a short rest I wanted to judo again and again.”
Odette Giuffrida won gold in Dushanbe, her 35th World Judo Tour medal (including the Olympic Games) and continues to shine. Her response though is simple, “Nobody knows what will happen after LA28, as I am not getting any younger, but I do know one thing: after I land in Italy, I will go out for dinner with my family and celebrate with some pizza!”
