In the decisive match, the 25-year-old Velenšek forced the German Luise Malzahn to surrender. The Slovenian champion dominated the entire matchup. Approximately halfway in, she managed to get the German’s head in a choke hold, from which Malzahn could not extricate herself.
A medal despite torn anterior knee ligaments
The achievement of the judoka from Šmartno v Rožni Dolini not far from Celje is even more impressive considering that she had fought with an injured knee – torn anterior ligaments and partially town lateral ligaments: “I had a difficult time today because of the psychological pressure, since I didn’t know if the knee would hold up. It was all or nothing, fight after fight, and this approach paid off at the end. I knew this was payback for my defeat against Malzahn at the European Championships. Despite the injury, there was no time for anxiety or doubts before the match. After all, you lose yourself even before you step onto the mat if you don’t believe in yourself. All this wouldn’t have happened without my coach, Marjan Fabjan, who believed in me despite my injury. It’s difficult to describe the feelings; this is a reward for 20 years of hard work.”
“We proved once again that it’s possible to succeed with plenty of will, energy, and self-sacrifice. Everything is possible in this world. Some think I’m crazy; let them continue to think this. They’re always wrong. We were determined to fight on. She needed to believe in herself. I don’t want to brag, but no one else in the world can take home an Olympic medal with torn ligaments. I believed in her all the way; even Ana had no doubts. Urška [Žolnir] also said to me that Velenšek would take home a medal. This sport requires a gladiatorial approach. This isn’t a sprint or a sport where we can talk and pass a ball to each other,” said the coach Marjan Fabjan when talking about the achievement of his judoka for the radio station Val 202. The Slovenian judo wizard is also the coach of Tina Trstenjak, who won the gold medal in the -63 kg category in Rio.
A. V.; tranlsated by J.B.
