At 34, Ugo Legrand is back on the tatamis. Le Normand, a judo prodigy, chose to end his sporting career in 2015 to start a new life. But the call of the Paris Olympics recently pushed him to put on his kimono again. Portrait.
There is a feeling of déjà vu. On the INSEP tatami [l’Institut national du sport, de l’expertise et de la performance, ndlr]Ugo Legrand feels at ease. However, in 2015, he gave up everything to lead a new life in the United States.. Bronze medalist at the London Olympics in 2012 (under 73 kg), the Norman was only 26 years old.
I had spent 10 years of my life here, it was becoming a little too routine. I got to the point of disgust. I didn’t want to be there anymore. No longer want to force myself. I wanted to explore the world.
Ugo Legrand becomes a set designer for advertising clips. And if he lives his American dream for 8 years, the French dream, that of a selection for the Paris Olympics, becomes stronger. “Seeing other horizons, other areas, other environments that took me away from the tatami mats, allows me today to come back with another state of mind, another vision, a maturity too and a freshness different from the others“, says the judoka.
Ugo Legrand is aiming for a medal he doesn’t yet have: Olympic Gold. • © P. Cornily / France Télévisions
Today the athlete is 34 years old. And still competes with the best, with a technique that is as elegant as ever. “I feel good. Judo sensations will return little by little, obviously. It’s like asking a sprinter to redo his times after he stopped for 8 years. It’s not possible, it doesn’t come back like that. It would be so beautiful.“
“Ugo is a chess player, he will look for the flaw in his opponent. When he finds it, he will not let it go. If he has to train day and night, he will do it. This is his strength.
Paco Legrand, judo coach and older brother of Ugo
“He is a very great judoka“, notes Baptiste Leroy, head of the French men’s judo team. “Someone who seeks perfection, who is very relaxed in training. Having him on the mat, for us, is added value. By mimicry, his partners, his younger opponents, it gives them more tools for their future career.“
At INSEP, Ugo found a friend from his youth who became a legend of the discipline: Teddy Riner. 11 times world judo champion (over 100 kg), he is full of praise for his friend. “I know him very well, he will do it! Ugo is talented, he knows judo. Once he has decided something, nothing can stop him. I am 1000% behind him.“
He hasn’t lost anything! He is announcing the color. It’s beautiful what’s happening. We didn’t take his place, he left it. And he’s going to take it back!
Teddy Riner
Teddy Riner says, Ugo Legrand “feels like judo”. And has every chance at the Olympics. • © P. Cornily / France Télévisions
Take back your place… And even go well beyond. Ugo Legrand aims harder, higher: Olympic Gold. “If I participate in the Olympics, it is obviously to try to get a medal that I do not have. A comeback with a gold medal would be the Holy Grail“, hopes the judoka. The countdown is on to win the French team and try to write one of the great stories of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
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