Offer Cameroon its first medal in judo. This is Vanessa Mballa’s mission that will be fought on Friday, July 30. In order to participate in the race, she must meet the representative of Turkey, Kayra Sayit.
In life, all dreams are allowed. This is what Vanessa Mballa has to say to herself, the four-time African champion, with a final title obtained in Antanarivo, Madagascar in December 2020, by beating Sonia Asselah, Algeria’s flag bearer at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In January last year, Hortence Vanessa Mballa Atangana, her full name, took a 5th place full of promise at the Doha Masters, which brings together the 36 best judokas in the world in each category. In April, she won the bronze medal in the Grand Slam in Antalya, Turkey. Currently ranked 14th in the world in its category, it may well write the story of Cameroon judo.
Welcome land in Mayenne
Vanessa Mballa, born in Bikok, has lived and trained for several years in Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne. Arriving in France thanks to an Olympic scholarship, at the age of 19, she left her suitcases in the Pôle Espoirs in Rouen.
A turbulent child, it was at the age of 11 that she discovered judo to channel her energy, on the advice of her mother. A few years later, she set herself the goal of becoming a national champion. In February 2020, Vanessa Mballa won the bronze medal at the Grand Slam in Düsseldorf, Germany. “It’s my first medal in the Grand Slam and it’s a first for Cameroon too, it’s one of my best memories. I hope that there will be more, she says to MadamSport.
Tokyo to crown its career
Like all athletes who participated in the Tokyo Games, Vanessa Mballa had to adapt to the postponement of the competition and other competitions, such as the African Championships. Because an Olympic bike lasts for four years. And there everything went up and down. Launches that affected his form peak and required new planning from his coach Rodrigue Chenet. Both work together towards the same goal: to land a metal.
Vanessa Mballa was able to confirm the ambition of her coach, who in 2018 clearly announced that Tokyo would be the highlight of her career. In 2016 in Rio, she had left the door in the first round. Five years later, will she be on time in the judo country?
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