LUCENTI Emmanuel

Preferred techniques
De-ashi-barai (judobase.ijf.org, 06 Jun 2021)

General
TRAVEL NIGHTMARE
In early 2020 he moved his training base to Tbilisi, Georgia, to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his family were unable to return to Argentina. "We went to Georgia because it was the last stretch to qualify for the Olympic Games. I competed in the Grand Slam event in Paris [France] and in Dusseldorf [Germany] and that was it because the tournaments were cancelled. We stayed in Georgia, in a basic apartment, and could not get back. We had to change accommodation five times during all this because money was running out." He and his family returned to Argentina in June 2020 after receiving help from an Argentinian businessman. "A journalist told my story to a businessman based in Ukraine who is known for helping people. We went to the Netherlands, then stayed the night in Germany, before going to the consulate in Italy and finally returning to Buenos Aires [Argentina]. We stayed there two days before making the 30-hour bus trip to Santiago del Estero." (lv12.com.ar, 25 Jun 2020; radiomitre.cienradios.com, 14 Jun 2020; tycsports.com, 25 May 2020)

CONSIDERING MMA
He says he has received offers to compete in mixed martial arts [MMA] and considered making the switch. "As long as there is a good contract I could try MMA. I don't dislike the idea. It's not my thing, but if there was a good offer then I would think about it. I've had offers before, but I would like to see if the pay is good enough. I watch other martial arts, like wrestling, but judo is my first love - I love it with all my heart." (titanchannel.com, 28 Dec 2020)

JUDO SCHOOL
He and a friend run Fenix Judo Team, a judo school in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. (argentina.gob.ar, 04 May 2021; fenixjudoteam.negocio.site, 01 Jan 2021)