Hello.
Welcome to the conversation, the show that brings together two extraordinary women who share in expertise to see what happens.
I'm Ella Ashammahi.
Today, with the Olympics in Paris just a few weeks away, we're talking to two women about what it takes to excel at judo and their experience of competing at the games.
Sandrine Billiette has represented Belgium and since 2019 competed for Cape Verde.
She now works for the World Olympian Association.
Tina Tersteniak won Olympic gold for Slovenia at Rio in 2016.
She's recently retired and now works for the International Judo Federation.
Welcome to you both.
Thank you for having us.
Thank you.
Ok, so let's just jump straight in.
The kind of dedication and discipline required to go to the Olympics, I imagine it has to become a way of life.
Could you talk us through the kind of discipline that you needed?
Tina?
For me, I like discipline and I train in the club where my coach also had discipline, you know, so for me it was some kind of lifestyle because in some point you need to choose priorities.
And I exactly knew what I want and why I'm doing it.
So I choose Judo and some other things I could not do in that time.
Okay, so talk me through this.
What did your coach have you not doing?