MINSK, 9 April (BelTA) - The postponement of the Olympics is a chance to better prepare for the games, Belarusian judoka Daniel Mukete (100kg) said in an interview with BelTA.
“Now I am trying to keep in shape. Because of the coronavirus situation I am at home in Vitebsk. Coaches have designed a training program for me and I stick to it. Until 20 April, we will be having home training practices. So far, we know nothing as to the dates of the competition. The first competition I am planning to take part in is the European championships in November,” said Daniel Mukete. “The postponement of the Olympics is rather a plus for me. There will be more time to prepare. I have my sights set on an Olympic medal,” he added.
The athlete noted that he feels good and closely monitors his health.
His personal mentor, honored coach of Belarus in judo Vasily Baranovsky stressed that now the task is to make the most of the situation. “The training camp ended two weeks ago. Daniel does not stop training, spends a lot of time practicing. He defeated almost all the leading judokas from the top 10 of his weight category. We have one goal - to win a medal of the Olympic Games. Now Nikita Svirid is ahead of Daniel in the rating, but this does not mean that Daniel will not get to the Olympics,” added Vasily Baranovsky.
The European Judo Championships in Prague were scheduled to take place from 30 April to 3 May but due to the coronavirus pandemic was postponed to 8-10 November.
The last time a Belarusian athlete won an Olympic medal in judo was at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens when Belarusian Igor Makarov won gold in 100kg.
Daniel Mukete is a two-time champion of the European Championships (U23) in 2017 and 2019 and winner of the 7th Military World Games. The Belarusian Judo Federation recognized him as the best athlete of 2019.