National Judo Talent Camp Brings 76 Athletes to Bogota
Seventy-six young judo athletes from five Colombian departments have gathered at the High Performance Center in Bogota for the National Judo Talent Camp. Organized by the Ministry of Sport, the program aims to build the next generation of national competitors through technical training and formative activities, laopinion.co reported.
Participants traveled from Norte de Santander, Quindio, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, and Santander for the multi-day event. The schedule features morning free-combat sessions, afternoon recreational activities at the High Performance Center, and a final socialization among participating coaches.
Olympic Medalist Yuri Alvear Coaches Young Judo Prospects
Two-time Olympic medalist and multiple world champion Yuri Alvear Orejuela visited the training camp to mentor the youth athletes. Alvear shared career experiences during a discussion panel with the attendees.
The visiting champion displayed her gold medal from the 2013 World Judo Championships in Rio de Janeiro and her bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics. She urged the participants to maintain discipline during difficult moments.
It is a wonderful experience, very beautiful, and I am very happy to be here,
Alvear said. I hope that each of you takes full advantage of this time in the national meeting, because you are learning and knowing different cultures.
Alvear also recounted the early struggles of her athletic career to encourage the developing fighters.
I did not start my career winning; in fact, I started losing,
Alvear said. It is very important to learn to manage those moments, because it is a long process. At first it will always be like that, but you have to be persistent and resilient to continue with sports practice.
Bogota Camp Focuses on Ne Waza and Grappling
Coaches at the Bogota camp focused instruction on Ne Waza, which covers ground fighting and grappling techniques. Athletes practiced specific immobilizations, including Yoko Shiho Gatame, Keza Gatame, and Tate Shiho Gatame.
The curriculum also trained participants in escaping holds and executing counterattacks such as Uki Waza and O Soto Gaeshi. These technical drills followed recent regional competitions where athletes from Norte de Santander secured four medals at the Interligas tournament and three medals in the junior category of the National Judo Championship.
Cúcuta Athletes Feel Motivated by Elite Competitor
Young participants from Cúcuta highlighted the motivational impact of training alongside an elite competitor.
I liked the talk,
said Jose David Raya, a member of the Cúcuta Talent School. Her story motivated me a lot and I was glad she came. It was incredible that she accompanied us.
Dulce Solano, another athlete from Cúcuta, noted the significance of meeting a world-class competitor during the training program.
Knowing an athlete of that level left me very surprised,
Solano said. I feel very good in this training space and what she said about not giving up marked me a lot.
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