On day one of the Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam the Dutch women’s team excelled. Amber Gersjes, at 28 years old, won her first ever World Judo Tour gold, taking the -48 kg title. Shannon Van De Meeberg won bronze at -57 kg, also her first grand slam medal. On day 2 Sanne Van Dijke added a second bronze medal to the team’s haul.
Perhaps Van Der Ham’s arrival is playing a part in the upswing but when asked, he replies with humility, “We rebuilt the whole training centre structure and we tried to bring a new atmosphere and energy. This isn’t about me, but the whole team. The situation is that we have a gap in the lightweight men’s categories; the women’s team is bigger.”
He went on to speak about the importance of an open mind and a willingness to learn, for coaches as much as athletes. “For Amber we brought structure to her judo. All of them know how to do judo but to use it at their best, they must refine their strategies and decision-making. To win in competition is important but they are also learning. In competition we can learn more and get to higher level events better prepared."
"I took time away to, in Belgium and Azerbaijan. Now I bring all my learning and the rest of the team came together well. I fell like all this learning from me, from the coaching team and the athletes is producing a real team effort.
Guillaume Elmont took over the role of technical director in the Netherlands 4 months before I came back. He invited me to return as part of the rebuilding process and it seems to be working well.” Elmont, himself a world champion, knows what it takes to be at the top of a sport, how hard it is and how much the team dynamic can influence the outcomes.
Mark added, “We try to develop every day, to be better for everyone.” This philosophy looks to be part of a winning recipe. Perhaps we will see more Dutch success as the Olympic qualification period opens; this could all be coming together at exactly the right time.
