L.Otgonbaatar: If I weren’t a judoka, I would be a herder
“I was really upset after the Rio Olympics. It I had won, I would have gotten a bronze medal. Even though I lost because of an injury, there was still something heavy in my chest. This year, when I got a medal from the World Championships, I felt as though a boulder was removed from my chest. When I was standing on the podium, I took a deep breath. I accomplished the goal I had for the past 10 years even if I didn’t get the gold, the wound left from the Olympics was healed. I will further improve myself in 2019 and will work towards winning a medal from Tokyo in 2020,” said international labor master L.Otgonbaatar.
The athlete is a local of Arkhangai Province Battsengel soum and is the athlete of Suld Sports Association. He has won bronze medal from the World Judo Championships in the -100 kg that took place from September 20 to 26.
What are your thoughts now that you are back from the World Judo Championships?
I am proud that I have been born a Mongolian in this wonderful motherland and as a descendant of my parents. Of course, I am also proud to have been born as son of my mother and father who both have wrestler ancestors. The Mongolian pride N.Tuvshinbayar became the -100 kg Olympic champion. I am also working hard to continue his success.
My decision to become a judoka was influenced by my two brothers. I have seen them practice since they were children and got really addicted to wrestling. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to become a wrestler. When I am preparing for tournaments, my brothers always advise me telling me to do this and that. Since they wrestle, they know the happiness and sorrow of an athlete better than anyone and understand me well. It is impossible to imagine my current success without my coach Ts.Shiirev. I have been working towards success with my coach for the past 10 years. I am always proud of my coach who has created a lot of top athletes in many sports categories. Since the competition ended, I wanted to see my parents first.
Your parents live in the countryside. Are they in the city now?
They are not, it’s not like work in the countryside gets any less. My parents are herders in Arkhangai Province’s Battsengel soum. I am rushing because I want to go home fast. They want their son to come home fast and are waiting for me. They saw me fight on TV and I hear that they were elated when I got a medal. Apparently, while they were watching, their blood pressures spiked because of the anticipation.
Are you planning on going home soon?
Yes, and if possible, I want to go even now. After taking care of work here, I will go home soon. The last time I was there was during Naadam this year.
Before you left for the World Championships, what did your parents tell you?
In general my mom tells me to “Work hard, and wrestle well”, but before I went to Azerbaijan this year, she said, “You have to win a medal. This is all we want.” I was really happy to hear them say that.
Since 2015, the Mongolian people have been listing wrestlers that might win medals and have been preparing them well. How much do you think this influenced your victory?
The biggest enemy of athletes is injuries. After that getting into your weight class is the hardest part. Since the Rio Olympics, I have been wrestling in the -100 kg category and in 2017, I wrestled in the World Championships with an injury. I didn’t want to make my injury from the Olympics worse, so I did not attend competitions for a year, but I still was not successful.
After the 2017 World Championships, I healed my body well and aside from practicing, I prepared my mental state well too and it paid off. Even though I didn’t become the champion, it’s okay and it is because this is not a thing that everyone can do.
This was my biggest aim since the Olympics. Of course, it is not something I got by just wishing for it and wanting it, but I evaluated my performance well and worked harder than before. On the other hand, if I underperform on a world stage, then I will lose the trust of Mongolians. For this reason, I worked hard. I reached this through the support of my fellow judokas and Mongolians who were with me regardless of whether I won or lost.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank President Kh.Battulga, the Mongolian Judo Association, Suld Sports Association, coach Ts.Shiirev, my family and the Mongolian people for always supporting me.
You have fought against Olympic medalist, three time World Championships silver medalist and three time European champion Varlam Liparteliani from Georgia. What tactics did you have in mind when facing the Georgian man that you have lost twice to?
In the training before the competition, I discussed with my coaches about how to fight him, I did fight in
accordance to that, and in fact, I competed on the same level as him, but because of a small mistake I made, I lost. Who knows? Maybe if the time was extended, I could have beaten him.
After only a few matches, you fought with Japanese Aaron Wolf, the world champion of 2017, for the bronze medal. It is obvious that it was hard to get out of the difficult state that you were in after losing to the Georgian judoka. What helped you secure your medal?
I tried not to think about my previous defeat. If I got nervous about facing against a world champion and devalued myself, then I wouldn’t have been able to beat him. What is there to be afraid of? We both have legs, arms, tricks and strength. Maybe I was better than him because I went ahead with a trick I had in mind and kept attacking.
It is hard to beat the Japanese jodoka with the kappo (resuscitation) technique alone. The fact that you beat Aaron Wolf in a short period of time perhaps made your victory even more delicious.
The Japanese got seven gold, five silver and four bronze medals from the World Championships this year and the only wrestler from the country to not get a medal was Aaron Wolf.
You got a medal when the president went to Azerbaijan. Some of the comedic fans were saying, “Let’s bring the president to the first day of tournaments.” The fact that the president saw your match perhaps made you feel supported.
The president’s fortune and presence definitely brought us to victory. It definitely made me feel supported. When I met him after winning the medal it seemed as though he was not satisfied. Athletes really worked hard because the president was watching the match. It is a rare destiny to be able to share your World Championships medal with the president and the Mongolian people.
When you competed for the Rio bronze medal, you lost to a Chinese judoka. It must have been hard for you considering the fact that you lost the medal and the injury with the lengthy healing period. What was the hardest part to overcome about this championship?
To be honest, I was very confident that I would win a medal. In the second round, when I defeated world champion Cuban judoka Asley Gonzales, I injured by ankle. It got swollen and it hurt too much, but I wrapped it up well and kept taking pain killers. I still lost to the Georgian wrestler. I also got put into a difficult situation when I injured my shoulder. It doesn’t matter how hard you try if your shoulder or ankle is injured, but if I stopped fighting and thought, “It hurts too much”, how would I have faced Mongolians?
So then, I decided to be stubborn against the pain and even though I continued to wrestle, in doing so I made my injury worse. Back when I got my ligament reattachment surgery, it was very difficult for me. Weightlifting coach Ts.Khosbayar told me, “Son, you have had enough medals. It is god that didn’t give it to you. The time is not right yet. Just wait a little, there will be results.” His words never left my mind.
Earlier you said your brothers influenced your decision to become a judoka. What made you become a judoka instead of a traditional wrestler?
When I was participating in the kids’ sumo competition that was broadcasted on MN25 TV, I met my current coach L.Shiirev. Then, he suggested that I try judo. Back then, judo was not really developed in Mongolia. I was 11 at the time and had no clue about the sport. That is how I became a judoka.
What was the competition that made you realize that if you practice judo consistently, you could be successful on the global arena?
I aimed to be a world champion and Olympic medalist from the beginning. I got motivated by every competition and I learned from my mistakes. The most memorable was in 2015 and 2016 during the Chinggis Khaan Grand Prix. What is a greater happiness than winning on the arena of your country in front of your people? Unfortunately, the Chinggis Khaan Grand Prix was not organized for the last two years.
L.Shiirev coach used to say, “Otgoo would frequently run away to the countryside. He was very close to becoming a herder.” If you didn’t become a judoka, what would you have done?
I am a real country boy. I would ride racing horses, herd goats and sheep, and wrestle until my deel and my boots tore off. Since I came to Ulaanbaatar, I would go back to the countryside whenever I had time. I would miss my home and I would worry about my parents wanting to help them.
I have eight siblings and I am the youngest child. My father used to say, “If you don’t have any jobs or notable successes in the city, come to the countryside and herd livestock.” I used to agree and think that I would do it. If I didn’t become a judoka, I would have herded sheep and been whistling by the side of the horses.
Do you have a girlfriend?
No, I don’t.
You used to date Honored Athlete and world champion S.Tserenchimed. At the time the sports people used to say, “Two wrestlers respected by the people are getting together.”
I did.
Your father is a famed horse trainer in the province. How much do you like horse racing?
My eldest brother also has the famed horse trainer title. I used to ride them since I was six and rode in the soum, province and even the Ikh Khurd race. I retired earlier and did not ride as much because I was a big kid. Even now, I like horse racing. When I tie the udders and tail of race horses, my senses awaken. Unfortunately, because of training and competitions, I don’t go to the countryside much.
Athletes don’t have much free time. Aside from training as a judoka, do you have any interests in developing yourself in other fields?
Yes, I do. Competitive sport is for young people. So I need to think of what to do when I retire. I graduated from the Avraga Sports University as a coach. Due to competitions and training, I do not have time to develop other hobbies. I plan to study in the future. Before the end of the year, I am attending the Abu Dhabi, Tokyo Grand Slam, and the World Masters. After discussing with my coaches, I will decide on which competition to choose from.
...The president’s fortune and presence definitely brought us to victory. It definitely made me feel supported. When I met him after winning the medal it seemed as though he was not satisfied. Athletes really worked hard because the president was watching the match...