There are several events that feature on a judoka’s bucket list throughout their career. The obvious ones include the Olympic Games, World Championships and prestigious tournaments such as the Paris Grand Slam. When it comes to Olympic Training Camps (OTC), Mittersill undoubtedly sits at the top of that list. Amongst the many judoka on the mat in the Austrian Alps, there are plenty experiencing this unique camp for the first time.
Junior European 2025 silver medallist, Narek Vardanian of Sweden, is one such athlete. We caught up with him, as well as cadet world champion 2025 and EYOF 2025 winner, Mónica Martínez Ríutorto of Spain, to hear their first impressions.
Narek Vardanian
“My first impressions? I really love it here. It is my first time being here and, as a second-year junior, there are so many good athletes to train with, the best seniors. So I am really happy with this camp.
“The most surprising thing here so far is that all of the athletes are here. It really shocked me that every single one of the best are here. It is really good to have a camp every year where the best come to one place.
“Mixing with them and sharing the tatami with them is…” He pauses with eyes mesmerised before continuing. “It feels a bit strange because, even when I was a child, I saw people here, athletes I watched as a kid and when I get to fight with them, I am really happy. I really love it and you get to know some of them, talk to them, the athletes you looked up to as a child. For example, some of the coaches, even my coach, Sally Conway. I loved her judo as a kid, and now she is my coach today. It is a lovely feeling.
“I look up to athletes like Lasha Shavdatuashvili and, you know, the Georgian champions. I love Georgian judo. And the United Arab Emirates team, not the ones I saw as a child but the ones I look up to now. Like Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov; he is really good. I fought with Makhmadbekov. He definitely pushed me the hardest. He was really strong, especially with his right hand up on the neck. So he was the one that pushed me the hardest.
“I look forward to sparring with Heydarov, of course, the Olympic champion. I look forward to doing randori with all of the seniors.”
The best part of the camp so far?
“Getting to throw my heroes.” He laughs with pride. “That’s the best part.”
Vardanian continues, “My imagination coming here was that, honestly, I thought it was going to be a bit smaller, to be honest, because it’s the beginning of the year. Maybe people would be on holiday, and it’s such cold weather here, so I didn’t imagine it would be like this, with the excellent conditions of the arena, the size, and even the facilities here. It’s very different from what I imagined…, and the reality is here. It is amazing, honestly. I wish to be here every year.”
Mónica Martínez Ríutorto
“My first impression was that it was huge and very cold. I thought that it was going to be difficult because I am not at the same level as Distria Krasniqi or Odette Giuffrida but then I came here and now I am excited. I enjoy doing judo and fighting with the best people here.
“My biggest surprise is the snow. Where I come from, it never snows, only once. It is my first time seeing this much snow.
“Everyone is pushing me to my limits in this camp and I am doing my best but I think my toughest fight so far was with Krasniqi. She threw me about four times. I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I have to do more. I am losing too much’…, but it is normal. I hope that I can reach that level in a few years.
“The athlete I most look forward to fighting is Uta Abe but she is not here. I would love to go to Japan and fight with her. From Europe, it is hard to choose because there are so many excellent athletes. Krasniqi, because she is the best and then for sure Giuffrida. I am fortunate I had the chance to fight with both here in Mittersill.
“The best moment so far was the session where we had eight randori. I thought it would be too much and wondered how I would manage but I managed it well.
“My imagination coming here was like this: a large training camp with the best people and hard fights. That is all and the reality is matching. I didn’t have any other expectations.”
Once upon a time, today’s judo heroes stood exactly where these first-timers stand now, wide-eyed beginners at the Mittersill OTC, nervously stepping onto the tatami alongside champions they had only dreamed of meeting. Amongst the nearly 1,000 athletes training in the Austrian Alps today, tomorrow’s Olympic medallists are taking their first tentative grips, their first falls, their first throws against the very legends they have idolised from afar.
This is where dreams transform into determination. Where a child who once watched from the stands finds themselves sharing the mat with their poster-hung heroes. Where the impossible becomes tangible with every randori, every technique, every moment of encouragement from a champion who remembers their own first time in Mittersill.
The power of sporting heroes lies not merely in their medals or their victories but in their ability to ignite something deeper, a belief that greatness is not born but built through dedication, resilience and the courage to step onto the mat. In Mittersill, inspiration flows as freely as the mountain air and the cycle of judo continues: yesterday’s dreamers become today’s champions and today’s beginners become tomorrow’s heroes who will, in turn, inspire the next generation.
In Mittersill, we witness the beautiful truth of our sport, that every champion was once a beginner and every beginner carries within them the potential to become a champion.
Author: Szandra Szogedi