President of the Arts MArticaux Saint-Gratien for twenty-five years, Anne Bernardin evokes the route exceptional desert Waldensians, already well beyond initial expectations before the Final Four on May 16th. 
 

How do you analyze yours performance to be one of the last four teams remaining in this Judo Pro League?  

It is simply extraordinary ! When we start in October, we are the newcomers, the underdog. The objective was clear for this first participation at the Judo Pro Leaguemaintenance We start with two home wins in October. Against Dojo Béglais (7-2) then, especially, against US Orléans (5-3), the defending champion For our two away games, we win at Sainte-Geneviève (5-4) and in Pontault-Combault (6-3). Finally, we finished second in the group stage., without having known defeat... So, we've already done much better than we expected ! For our future semi-final against AC BBoulogne-BIllancourt, I don't want to make any unnecessary projections. Everything that happens is just a bonus.  

 

 
What have been The highlights of this first phase ? 

The strongest will undoubtedly remain that one the " roulette " during our quarter-final against Juniville Marnaval Grand Est. Qand we saw that she was stopping at the -73kg, Zackaria Belfoue's categoryl Who won his fight during this crazy match, I felt a shiver. It was a relief tant Juniville had, In its squad, world-class judokas. There, We had our chances to win. And we did. Beyond this game, I would say that The emotions built up in a crescendo: one victory, then a second, and so on. Each day, the emotions became mores strong.  

 

 
Did this first participation create immediate enthusiasm in your city?  

Yes! First, with respect to the emore of our local authorities, namely the town hall and the departmental council. They immediately loved the format and got into the game. Moreover, the city will rush a bus of young athletes from Saint-Gratien for to come Encourage us on the 16th May. The objective Having three hundred supporters in the stands at the Paris Dojo. The mayor and the head of the sports department will also be present.  
From the point of view economic, we have desired finance our participation through private funds. A choice that pays off, both because nWe were fortunate not to have to travel far for our two away games, but also because the funding linked to participation at the end Four will allow us to land on our feet.