RYNALD SAAL (-58KG)

"Falling to the number five in the world was not a gift... but that's the game when you're not seeded. On the tatami, I don't demerit. I even managed to take the lead at the beginning of the first round, which I finally lost due to an error of inattention... that's the law at this level of competition. On the second part, I manage to stay in contact, but never to pass in front, while he defends well his advantage. We mustn't forget that my transition from junior to senior is in full swing, which is why I fought half in both categories this season. Technically I think I'm up to it, but it's more on the physical level that I'm still a bit soft (Rynald Saal fights in -55kg in the junior category and in -58kg in the senior category, NDLR). Of course, my ambition remains to win every fight, in a perspective of regular performance, but above all to accumulate experience against the best fighters in the world. Today, it's a premature exit but it will have allowed me to gauge my level against the world's best, in the heart of a season where injuries and relapses have unfortunately accumulated. Now, after the junior world championships where I finished fifth, I'm heading for the senior world championships!

Olivier Remy / Sen no Sen