"Frankly it was extraordinary and last night the three of us had too much adrenaline in our blood to expect a restful night, but it was good fatigue, the kind you are looking for when you are an athlete or a coach. It has never happened to our team before. It's a first and we are very proud of it,” explains Gilles, who was back on the edge of the tatami today, to coach his young athletes.
"I was a little apprehensive yesterday morning because even if I had a very good year and arrived as European champion, I didn't know the Asian fighters. It was a bit of a leap into the unknown," said Yahn. The feeling was not far from the same for Zacharie, "In fact I was happy to discover new faces and a new way of doing judo. During previous competitions, I mainly met European judoka. They know my judo by heart. After a difficult first match against the Greek Tsaparas, I managed to get into the groove and raise the level of my judo. Even if in the end I did not meet any Asian judoka, I watched them a lot."
Gilles, who accompanied Zacharie throughout the day, explained, "From the second match, I saw that he was very focussed, always with the initiative and very incisive on the ground. When he is like that, frankly, nothing can stop him and nothing did stop him! As for Yahn, it's impressive to see him fly over the competition like that. Even when he seems in danger, because he has two penalties against him, he doesn't get angry, stays calm and continues to build his attacks. As his opponents perceive fragility, he turns this to his advantage."
What probably surprised all judo observers was the radiant health of this French men's team. According to Gilles, "After the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, where we had a generation of incredible champions, we changed our strategy a bit and we made the mistake of compartmentalising the age groups. Cadets with cadets, the juniors with the juniors and the seniors among themselves; it was not the right solution. At the same time, this is not a criticism, but an analysis that can be viewed after the fact. For the last three to four years we decided to gradually mix everyone up a bit again. We keep specificities for each age group, but it is important that everyone also trains together."
The result seems obvious. Two weeks ago in Ecuador, the juniors were performing and it is now the cadets who celebrate the medals. “I think what characterises our group is precisely that we are a group. There is a crazy cohesion between all of us. Above all, we are there in the good times, during the victories, but also during the defeats. We support each other and it's magic," says Yahn. It is therefore not surprising that Zacharie shares his point of view, “It is so nice to move forward together in our judo career. We started our season together, within the high level structure of Nantes in the west of France. Then in the middle of the season, we also started to meet at the national level, within the French team. Then the international season really started. We did training camps in Berlin and Strasbourg. That's where our team spirit has forged minds of steel."
Gilles does not necessarily see it as a miracle, “It is clear that at the beginning there is talent, a lot of talent, but above all there is a lot of work too and a positive internal competitiveness which is bearing fruit. The work done in the high-level sectors is exemplary."
2022 therefore marks the success of a group that we will follow carefully in the years to come, "We are both last year cadets, soon moving to juniors. It will be something else, but we are ready to go with the same state of mind. From next year, we will be aiming for the national junior podium," they explained. "For the weight categories, we will let nature do its work," added Gilles. "We are not in a hurry and they should not be, either; everything in its time. For the moment, we are enjoying their great victories."
While waiting to move forward, Zacharie and Yahn are taking advantage of their new notoriety, "Since yesterday it's been madness and that's probably also why we haven't slept well. Between team buddies, family and the messages on social media, it hasn’t stopped. There are even people we don't know who congratulate us. It's incredible,” smiled Yahn.
For the second day of competition, they are already back in the stands because being world champions does not mean that they stop taking care of others, "We are here to encourage others as they did for us. That makes them happy but it makes us just as happy. We are there for the others," specified Zacharie.
The latter was predestined to do judo, "I don't remember when I started. My father is a judo teacher and as far as I can remember I have always been on a tatami. In parallel with judo, I continue my studies. This year, I'm going to my final year of high school in science, in Nantes, where I'm from." A shapely head on a healthy body seems to be what guides the young man.
Yahn, who was born in Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire region, had several judoka in his family too but he had never really talked about the sport with them. It was somewhat by chance that he discovered it. Chance has obviously done things well.
Building the future with such a generation is an opportunity, "We have started with a great dynamic that we are extending to the whole territory. You know when you make a stew, you don't put out the fire underneath. We have to keep cooking good meals. In other words, we have to ride the wave of success. I like to say that these boys were aiming for the stars and they hit the moon. We're going to help others achieve their dreams."
When leaving Yahn, Zacharie and Gilles, the name of a new French athletes qualifying for their respective finals resounded in the arena, that of Kelvin Ray at -60kg, for example. The story is therefore far from over. To be continued...