POSTIGOS Juan

Preferred techniques
Uchi-mata-sukashi (IJF, 06 Jun 2021)

General
RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
He says the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will be his final Games, but he does not plan to retire immediately following the event. "I don't think my body can take one more Olympic cycle. The truth is that to qualify for the Olympic Games is a huge sacrifice. You have to compete at 15 to 20 tournaments a year, be away from home on weeks of tours and preparation. I am at an age where I am starting to form roots in other areas. I have my partner, and I am going through a stage in which I feel good. I have nothing to prove to anyone, I just have to go out to enjoy my last Games. I think that when it is over, it will end little by little, but I am not going to retire immediately. I simply want to enjoy the Tokyo Games and I think that is a plus. When you go out to enjoy what you do, you do it better and I trust that. You have to go out to enjoy that moment, it might be one of my last at this level." (depor.com, 19 Jun 2021)

WEIGHT CLASS CHANGE
He moved up from the -60kg weight class to the -66kg category following the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I have had better results than in -60kg, I was able to win my first medal in a Grand Prix tournament, and I made my first Pan American final, I think the category change was good. I have been competing in -66kg for five years, I already know my rivals, I have learned how to beat the best judokas in the category, as I have learned why I lose, which is part of that." (depor.com, 19 Jun 2021)

MOVE TO FRANCE
In 2011 he left Peru and moved to France to pursue his dream of competing at the Olympic Games and has since settled in the country. "I packed my bags and thanks to my mother left Peru, with my sights set on a single target. The road has not been easy, but I can say that it's all been worth it. I have lived in France for 11 years [speaking in 2021], I came on an Olympic Solidarity scholarship and spent two periods in France until 2016. Once the scholarship was over, I decide to train to become a high-performance judo coach and I chose to make my life here. It also helped me a lot, being independent. I was lucky to be here during the COVID-19 pandemic, because the state facilitated high-performance athletes." (depor.com, 19 Jun 2021; Facebook profile, 19 Jul 2016; franceolympique.com, 03 Mar 2011)