Sandrine Martinet

Started: She began judo in 1991 at the club Societe Vincennoise de Lutte et de Judo in Vincennes, France. (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016; paris2024.org, 01 Jan 2019) Reason: She was inspired by her brother, and found that judo gave her a way to channel her energy and deal with the difficulties she faced because of her impairment. "I found it so unfair to have my impairment, to have to put in all of this effort, and to be laughed at in return. I was in rebellion all the time. But ultimately it made me a fighter. I wanted to prove that I could be successful, to others and to myself." (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016; paris2024.org, 01 Jan 2019; telestar.fr, 02 Dec 2020) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (journaldesfemmes.fr, 26 Oct 2023) Milestones: Her gold medal in the -52kg category at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro made her the first French judoka of either gender to have won three Paralympic medals in the sport, having previously claimed silver at the 2004 and 2008 Games. At the 2020 Games in Tokyo, she became the first French judoka to win four Paralympic medals by securing silver in the -48kg category. (SportsDeskOnline, 23 Jan 2024) At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo she became the first judoka to represent France at five editions of the Paralympic Games, having competed at every Games since 2004. (SportsDeskOnline, 23 Jan 2024) Awards: She and wheelchair tennis player Stephane Houdet were flag bearers for France at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (paralympic.org, 10 Aug 2021) Additional Info: SIXTH PARALYMPIC GAMES She is making her sixth Paralympic Games appearance at the 2024 Games in Paris, having debuted in 2004 in Athens. "One of the reasons for my longevity is that I have had little competition at French national level. I would actually prefer if there were more athletes who could take my place. Furthermore, I took breaks during my career to give birth and when I followed my husband abroad due to his military duty. So I didn't do four years of preparation for each Games. I didn't experience the weariness that athletes who train morning, afternoon and evening can experience if they never stop. These breaks allowed me to be fresher, to stay motivated, and to have fun." (journaldesfemmes.fr, 26 Oct 2023) OCCUPATION She has worked as a physiotherapist. Sponsorship, as well as support from the French armed forces, allowed her to step away from her career in physiotherapy and focus on sport ahead of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. "These partnerships allowed me to give up my job as a physiotherapist, which I nevertheless miss a lot. I miss helping and relieving patients. But the job is totally incompatible with my sporting career, which does not allow me to monitor patients as regularly as the profession requires. To participate in the Paris Games and perform well, I had to be freed from my job." (journaldesfemmes.fr, 26 Oct 2023)