For Roy Meyer, the European Judo Championship means a ‘fresh’ start. After missing the Olympics, the judoka from Breda has learned that distraction is important to him. In Sofia, the 30-year-old Meyer is a candidate for the gold. Roy Meyer explains what has changed on the basis of five statements.
Statement 1: It is difficult to turn disappointments into growth and to turn loss into profit
“Then you notice that it is becoming easier to turn disappointments into something positive. I knew last year that the phone call came with the announcement that Henk Grol was preferred for the Olympic Games. Still, it was a huge blow. The first tournament after that I immediately lost to a ‘pancake’. Then I picked up the thread again.”
Statement 2: The World Cup before the Olympic Games was enlightening
“I doubted, but my loved ones said: Roy, you can still become world champion there. That’s not nothing, isn’t it? I then threw my whole soul into it and took bronze. My second medal at a World Cup. I won against people from whom I had never won. It was the beginning of a beautiful time for me.”
Statement 3: Top sport demands a lot, but you can do something next to it
“I enjoy being active in the media and have thrown some lines. I became a co-commentator on broadcasts of the Olympic Games and ‘mayor’ of the Olympic Festival in The Hague. I received wonderful reactions. People appreciated I still radiated positivity in this situation.”
Statement 4: Distraction also has advantages for a top athlete
“You have elite athletes who find it necessary to keep the whole world away from them in order to achieve their goal, even if it is at the expense of their environment. I do not detract from the fact that sacrifice and dedication are necessary to achieve the highest The other side of the story is that you can also share it for fifty percent with others. Self-centeredness is an easy excuse for unpleasant behavior. Destroying everything around you is not the same as sacrificing everything.”
Statement 5: A top sport life can sometimes best be compared with a ‘normal’ life.
“The best leader is a visionary who understands that people have to do it together. Not someone who just delegates. Judokas feel that they have to feel pain to feel that they have trained enough. Of course you have to want to win and I also lie awake if I have not gotten everything out of a training. But it also helps that you as a top athlete sometimes don’t take yourself too seriously.”
The Brabant participants in the European Championship are:
- Ambers Gersjes from Tilburg (-48kg)
- Joanne van Lieshout from Lierop (-63kg)
- Sanne van Dijke from Heeswijk Dinther (-70 kg)
- Guusje Steenhuis from Grave (-78 kg)
- Jur Spijkers from Tilburg (+100 kg)
- Roy Meyer from Breda (+100 kg)