KUKOLJ Aleksandar

Belt grade
Black belt - I DAN (IJF, 15 Jul 2016)

Preferred techniques
Uchi-mata (IJF, 17 Jul 2016)

General
CHANGING CATEGORY
Following the break in international events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to competition in 2021 in new a weight category, switching from -90kg to -100kg. "You always need an adaptation period when you change categories, I spent nine or 10 years in -90kg. When they cancelled everything last year around March [2020], I just continued training like I usually do, I couldn't stop. I get nervous when I don't start the day with training, even during my day off I'm doing something else just to feel productive, and when I stepped on the scales in the middle of the summer I was 98 kilograms. A long time ago, I considered switching category for the last Olympic cycle of my career, but it came too fast. I wanted to refresh my body, to change my opponents, because I had fought some of them 10 times. I used the pandemic to do something positive. I talked with my team, got their support, listened to their opinions and I went for it at full power." (EuropeanJudo YouTube channel, 12 Jun 2021)

BUSINESS OWNER
He owns a dojo and gym in Belgrade, Serbia. "They are additional sources of income, but more importantly they serve as a platform for me to start preparing for life after competition. Of course, in order to be able to train properly for competition, I can't afford to be distracted by business matters, so I've carefully chosen the right partners to help run my businesses." (judoinside.com, 16 May 2020)

FURTHER EDUCATION
He has also earned a master's degree in economics. (judoinside.com, 16 May 2020)

He became the first judoka representing Serbia to win a gold medal at the European championships when he triumphed in the -90kg category at the 2017 edition in Warsaw, Poland. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Jul 2021; Nova S YouTube channel, 08 Dec 2020; zurnal.rs, 22 Apr 2017)