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At the Atlanta Olympics I had to start against the double world champion Chung-Ki Jeon from Korea. I was the only judoka who had beaten him in the three years prior to the Games. In Atlanta Jeon won by judges' decision. After that we both won all our matches by ippon; he won the gold, I ended up with bronze. In November 1996 I injured my knee during the Kano Cup in Tokyo. I had to refrain from competition for four months.
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I had a great start of 1999 by winning the Kano Cup in
Tokyo as well as the A-tournament in Munich.
At the EC I was headed for my fourth title but in the
semi-final I made a mistake at seven seconds before the
end of the match. I lost. I won my last match and had to settle
for bronze.
The world championships were again disappointing. I
won against Morozov, but was once again stopped by the Cuban
Despaigne.
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After a few nice and busy months I started training hard
for the EC and WC of 2001. In Paris I won my fourth
European title without any problems.
The world championships in Munich were once again a
setback. In the second round I was surprised by an
unknown Algerian. Bye bye world title. The medals were
won by the judokas I had easily beaten at the European
championships three months before. But that doesn't
count. I made the mistake and I had to wait another two
years.
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In the beginning of 2003 I seriously doubted if I could
ever fight at the highest level. My injured finger
prevented me from gripping properly. In March I competed
at the World Cup of Rome. I won the bronze medal and that was
an important and emotional victory for me.
Due to my finger I was not fully prepared for the
European championships. Still, I won the bronze medal
and I was satisfied with my ninth EC-medal.
Two weeks after the Europeans, I tore the ligaments in
my knee. After three months of fierce recovery I was fit
enough to start at the world championships. After three
weeks of randori I went to Osaka for a mission
impossible. I ended ninth.
After the injuries of 2003 I was able to start fully
recovered in 2004. I qualified for the Olympics by
winning bronze in Moscow and Paris and gold in
Rotterdam.
At the EC in Romania I was on my way to win my fifth
European title. But a shrewd Lepre from Italy managed to
hold me off the gold medal. I had to settle for silver,
but my form was growing towards the Olympics.
In Athens I lost in the second round by a very arguable
decision against the Korean world champion. I was
agitated and won the other five matches. I had lost my
Olympic title, but I was on the podium with my third
Olympic medal. Something very special.
On the podium with my third Olympic medal in Athens ->
2005 brought the EC back to the Netherlands, where I had
won my first European title nine years before. This time
I made a tactical mistake in my quarter finale match
against Alarza. 30 seconds from the end of the match I
gave away the win. I won the other matches and the
bronze medal. It was a bit disappointing, but also very
rewarding to win my eleventh European medal in front of
my home crowd.
Finally, at my sixth world championships, I won a medal.
Still, I was disappointed with the bronze medal, because
I felt I had deserved more. In the semi-final I received
an arguable penalty. That prevented me from entering
into the final. I won my bronze medal match, but I ended
up with the feeling I had missed out on a world
championship final.
WC podium 2005: Iliadis, Izumi, me and Kazusionok.
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The start of 2007 was good: I won a bronze medal at the
Super World Cup of Paris. After that, personal matters
bugged me and that haunted me in trainings and
tournaments. For the first time in seven years I ended a
World Cup without a medal. My girlfriend broke up with
me, I tried to keep training, but right before the EC of
2007 I was exhausted. I withdrew. For the first time in
14 years I would not compete at the European
championships.
I put all my energy in the preparation for the world
championships in Brazil. For me, it was nothing more
than the Olympic qualification tournament. The only
thing I cared about was being in top shape at the
Beijing Olympics.
At the world championships I reached the semi-final, I
had reached my goal of Olympic nomination. Still, I was
close to my first WC-final. In the semi-final
against Iliadis I almost scored in extra time,
but lost. I also lost the bronze medal match by a very
small margin. No medal, but I had earned my place for
the Olympics. No euphoria, but mission accomplished.
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My
last year as a top judoka. I was nearing the finish that
I had been training for the last two years. I wanted
a farewell at the highest level: the Olympic Games.
Never before has a male judoka won a medal at four
Olympics. Never before has a judoka my age won an Olympic medal. It was a challenge with opportunities.
In
April I entered my 14th and last European championships.
Without expectations, but with a bagful of experience I
won all my matches. I became the oldest male European
judo champion in history. This fifth title gave me extra
spirit to train hard for my final competition.
One month before the Games I won the German Open by
winning all matches by ippon.
On August 13, 2008 I stepped on the mat in Beijing. I
opened my tournament against my main rival, Ilias
Iliadis from Greece. I took the lead with penalties and
towards the end of the match I scored ippon with
uchi-mata, a perfect start.
My second match was against Aschwanden (SUI), who I had
beaten the month before. This time however, I made a
tactical mistake. I attacked, but was countered for
wazari. I put the pressure on, he was penalized, but I
was not able to win the match. Aschwanden surprisingly
lost his next match, so I was not given the possibility
of a repechage.
Of course I am disappointed with this result. This was
not the farewell I had hoped and trained for. I had the
possibilities to win the title once again, but I made a
mistake myself.
My career as a competitor is over. It has been a long
and riveting journey. I have worked hard and denied
myself a lot of things. This life as a top judoka has
given me much. For the greater part it has made me the
man I am today. Now is the time for other things, but
the enriching experience of my judo career will always
play a role in my life.
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This is an abbreviated version of my more
extensive website in Dutch |
