Former Olympians successful coaches but not necesarilly

It's no surprise that some current Olympic coaches and former gold medalists are at the Games and continue to achieve success. This includes Ilias Iliadis, Sarah Menezes, Keiji Suzuki, Yvonne Boenisch, Kim Mi-Jung, Majlinda Kelmendi, Severine Vandenhende, and in Russia, Arsen Galstyan.

Former medalists like Richard Trautmann, Marko Spittka, Yordanis Arencibia, Janusz Pawlowski, Antoine Valois-Fortier, Alexei Budolin, Yoshie Ueno, Sally Conway, Shay-Oren Smadga, and Giorgi Tenadze are respected coaches, understood by their students, and seen as international masters. While not everyone achieves the success they envisioned, the method of hiring experienced former champions as coaches is a proven factor of success at various levels.

The Azeri coaches were particularly successful this time, with their athletes winning two gold medals. However, if everyone adopts the same strategy of hiring foreign coaches, it might not work as well and could raise the price for unique knowledge. There is much to gain from loyalty and long-term commitment. Some coaches stay in one country for a long time and achieve international victories and Olympic medals. For instance, Nikos Iiadis has been a long-serving coach, winning another medal with Tselidis twelve years after his son won his last Olympic medal in 2012. Giorgi Tenadze has extensive experience and is now successful with the Georgian women's team. Cedric Taymans has long been with the Walloon Judo Federation, while Francesco Bruyere is an icon in Italian coaching. Ana Hormigo and Pedro Soares are respected coaches in Portugal, demonstrating that loyalty and respect are crucial for success.

The new generation of more theoretical coaches, who may not have had illustrious judo careers themselves but possess the talent and patience to work with athletes over a long period, are also making their mark. Vladimir Preradovic, the coach of Olympic Champion Barbara Matic, and Luka Kuralt, who celebrated unbelievable success with Andreja Leski in Slovenia, are examples of this. Shany Hershko, though never the best judoka, is an internationally respected coach. There is space for everyone, but chemistry is key.

The streets of Split were coloured with red flames when Barbara Matic and her entourage were welcomed by many fans. It’s the success of dedication and patience two essential ingredients for grooming talent and achieving success in judo.