Yet after the award ceremony there was little disappointment to be found on Van Dijke’s face. Her third World Cup bronze, ten years after her European junior title, also released something sentimental in her. “Judo is always a big one struggle”, the 29-year-old Van Dijke said from the Hungarian capital. ,, So I’ve been at the top of the world for a long time. I get everything out of my training sessions, try to take good care of my body. I really came here for gold, let that be clear. But my third World Cup medal, ten years after my debut, I am quite proud of that. “
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Intense joy so that from her face splashed. Beaming and as a child so happy, the judo world of Dijke had not seen a long time. Last year was dominated by Kommer and Kwel because she was felled by a hernia. And that in a season in which Olympic history had to be written, she thought. Because Van Dijke has already decided years ago that only gold will only finish its career on the summer games. Just before the Games, she was declared fit, but once in Paris it turned out to be better at all.
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In July she turns 30. Then it is three years until Los Angeles 2028: the 34th summer games. It has to happen there, Van Dijke has intended, there should be spelled in gold there. On Tuesday in Budapest the Brabantse made the impression that she really started that Olympic journey. The way in which she got a quarterfinals was chilling. Even in that quarterfinals there seemed to be no dirt in the air
Sanne van Dijke shines on stage. © ANP/HH
But she still fell in a ground fight with the Australian Aoife Coughlan. Van Dijke seemed to squat beautifully at some point, but was mistaken in the primal force of her opponent. He still put her in a hold. “I had a good plan and I think I was on the winning hand,” Van Dijke said afterwards. “I made a small mistake on the floor and in Judo something like that always becomes fatal.”
Because it did not affect her self -confidence, Van Dijke confidently started the resit, against the world champion. The Française Margaux Pinot had been bothering her for a few years, but a Yuko just before time was enough for a medal match. Also in that battle for the bronze against the Spanish Ai Tsunoda Roustant, she had the entire game under control. At least, she aroused that impression. “I knew I was going to win, I just didn’t know how.” That succeeded in the extension: again a lightning-fast Yuko, which made the Spanish bewildered on her side and Van Dijke won the first World Cup medal of this week for TeamNL.