Olympic Heroes: Mark Huizinga

Mark Huizinga became Olympic Champion in 2000 in Sydney in the -90 kg category. He still is one of the most sensational athletes teaching judo on behalf of the IJF Academy throughout the globe. IJF’s Jo Crowley interviewed Mark in what way his Olympic title changed his life.

“I was able to become Olympic champion because of the goals I wanted to achieve being there from a young age. I was crazy about sport and the Olympics. I was always thinking about what could I do to improve, how I could find ippon. I enjoyed throwing people the most and I looked for it constantly. That is how I could improve. Then I started to compete at an international level and it brought me opportunities."

"At my first Olympic Games I lost to Ki-Young Jeon in the first round. He was world champion and I was European champion. I had beaten him once before and so it was close and was eventually decided by hantei. He went to the final against Armen Bagdasarov and I took the bronze, coming through the repechage.

By 2000 I had 3 European titles and was a little older; I felt ready to win. I was at the top of my game. It was more than judo that enabled me to win; I had a mental advantage against Honorato (BRA). I had been to Brazil for a training camp and we did a lot of randori together. I felt I had the control in those practices. I knew if I didn’t make mistakes I would beat him; randori doesn’t lie! I think he knew he was in trouble."

"I was quite careful as I could have tried to go all-out and find the ippon in the first minute but I was more cautious than that and scored a yuko first. Then I let him come for me. I felt he became more panicky, as did his coach. He couldn’t find an opening, so I could stay calm and let it all turn my way. He tried an uchi-mata. I knew if he did I would counter and that’s what happened. This was only the final on that day though, it was really all about the build up and the years before that. The final was maybe the easiest fight of the day; to get there was the harder part.”

Did winning the Olympic gold change you?

“I did two more Games. It was always the next event and the next medal at stake. I feel that while I am retired now, for 16 years, I feel so many things have happened because of that medal. I am sitting here in Paris for this interview because of it. For the outside world beyond judo, my two Olympic bronze medals make little difference to the rest of the world but the level for gold is so high and just under that for bronze. No-one sees how close it is.

The gold will be a part of me for the rest of my life, receiving nice invitations and knowing what I achieved. It helps! On a day like today, at the Olympics in Paris, you realise that you had the opportunity to fight like this too. There may even be a bit of jealousy watching them. There is also confidence and relief and satisfaction that I was able to stand on a stage like this and fight for the biggest medal in the world with a roaring crowd. It’s a real privilege."

"I would definitely go back and do it all again. I did this for a long time, retiring at 35. I didn’t win at my last Games but even knowing that, I would not have retired earlier. Still then, at that time I wanted to go for ippon. I won 15 Olympic contests and 13 were by throwing for ippon. I could throw to the left, back, front, always looking for and usually finding an opening.

It keeps the training enjoyable if you can keep throwing. If it was just hard kumi-kata all the time, it wouldn’t be fun. I want to solve and learn and improve throughout. I was not the most strong; you have to be strong but there were stronger opponents than me and it’s nice to outsmart them with technique."

"Wanting to throw people is really a big part of it, the love of the sport too. I wouldn’t have lasted very long in swimming, just up and down, up and down. Judo is a game and every opponent is different. At some tournaments I felt completely in control. It doesn’t happen often but working towards it for everything to succeed, to feel when all becomes easy; that feeling that you are in shape and in control and have speed and can do nothing wrong. I have had that feeling a few times in my career and that was perhaps more important than the medals, surprising yourself with how smooth your movement is. There’s a lot of frustration and work before that but it’s worth it to feel that."

"I don’t think I’m a good loser. It’s taken a while since my last Games in 2008, it took a long time to get rid of the questions in my head about why I did certain movements and why I made mistakes. I’ve had some fights when I was thrown with great timing and that’s ok but making a mistake at an important moment, it’s difficult to have peace with that. Now it’s just part of my life and story; it’s sport but that was hard.

I was singularly focused. I wanted those big titles and I aimed at them. The Europeans and worlds and the Games were all important but it reached the point where only the Olympics was the focus. It got narrower as I got older, eventually just thinking about the Games. That fourth time, I felt I had the level to win but didn’t and so it was frustrating. It took a few years to settle but it doesn’t bother me now.

I was crazy about the Olympics from 7 or 8 years old, reading about it, and imagining winning the 100m sprint and marathon at the same Olympics. I dreamed of excelling at something and it was judo that came quickly. I started at the age of 4. From 15 it got serious and that’s when I joined De Korte. The +72 kg Olympic gold medallist in the 1988 women’s demonstration event Angelique Seriese (NED) was one of my training partners. Her devotion to the sport was a great example, living her life for the sport.”

Mark Huizinga remains closely connected to judo. He can be found travelling the world with the IJF Academy delivering judo education across all continents.