“I like to call us the ‘Rainbow Team’,” Dojo head instructor Alexis Plantard explained to The Phuket News recently.
“This is mainly due to the sheer number of different nationalities represented by the students, similar to the many colours of the rainbow,” he added.
“We have French, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Indian, Lithuanian, English and Thais who are all part of the team and who individually and collectively shine like a rainbow!”
The affectionate moniker is certainly appropriate as the multi-national team shone at two recent major tournaments.
The team won 10 medals at the Thai National Judo Cup in Samut Sakhon on the weekend of Aug 4-5, following on from a hugely impressive 15-medal haul at the US Open Judo Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida between July 27-31.
The Samut Sakhon tournament, 45 kilometres southwest of Bangkok, saw over 400 athletes from all around the country competing.
Despite the very high standards on show, the Dojo team excelled with gold medals going to team captain Gabin, Oscar, 6-year-old Damir and 8-year-old Meera, who won her second gold medal in only her second competition; she also received a separate trophy for the best athlete in her age category.
An especially impressive performance came from David who won a silver medal competing in the under-14 age class despite only just turning 12 years old. “He is getting stronger with each event and is making excellent progress,” a proud Alexis beamed.
Bronze medals went to Oliver, Leo, Mael and Dominic, with the latter competing despite damaged ligaments and in his 40s against opponents half his age. “Dominic trains hard everyday and is an outstanding example to the younget students at the Dojo,” Alexis said.
Alexis himself rounded off the medal haul, winning gold in his age class. “I think it is important that I lead by example to help inspire the students and that is why I will compete at the championships with them,” he explained.
“We train together so we compete together as part of the same team and I hope them seeing me in action can help motivate them to want to continue to improve,” he added.
Stateside success
The event not far from the Thai capital followed on from an excellent showing at the US Open Judo Championships in Florida, the first time Alexis had taken his team stateside.
The hugely popular international event saw over 2,500 athletes from 50 different countries compete as part of 68 teams and the Dojo Phuket team ended up being ranked 8th best team out of 68, despite only having six fighters involved.
Team captain Gabin once again stepped up to the plate to lead by example, winning his division after a gruelling 15-fight competition.
“His win was a hugely proud moment for the team, for Phuket and for me personally, with it being the first time I had brought students with me to the USA,” Alexis said. “Gabin did so well to win his division, a really tough one with some outstanding competitors involved. It was the first gold the team won and Gabin set the tone for the rest of us to follow.”
Timur won a bronze in his division, which consisted of an even more gruelling 18 contests. He also was upgraded to an orange belt rank because of his impressive performances.
Oscar also won bronze after competing in 15 separate bouts while Valentine secured his first-ever gold medal at international level, while also claiming a silver and two bronze medals.
Oliver also secured a four-medal haul from 17 contests overall, including a silver and three bronzes, while also qualifying for his orange belt classification.
“Oliver is an amazing fighter,” Alexis explained. “He is very creative on the mats and is always ready to surprise his opponents with an array of strong techniques.”
Alexis once again impressed, leading by example to claim two gold medals and a bronze from his contests. The golds were won as part of the European team in his weight and age divisions respectively while the bronze came in the open weight category. “I was up against a true beast who stood over two metres in height and weighed over 130kg, while I weigh only 90kg!” Alexis explained.
“I was really very proud of the entire team who demonstrated a strong mindset and hugely positive attitude to all that came in front of them,” Alexis said of the team’s performance in the US.
“I can see it in their eyes as they take to the mat for every fight – they have no fear and are full of confidence as they chase their goals. Congratulations to the whole team who constantly stepped out of their comfort zone to compete against some of the best players in the world.”
The competition was also an opportunity for Alexis to network and learn from colleagues, with many national teams coaches and former Olympic and World medalist competitors involved.
Bow to your Sensei
It came only weeks after Alexis had successfully completed his 5th degree black belt studies in jiu-jitsu and judo at the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, Japan, which is the global headquarters of the sport.
After completing a training camp consisting of a series of physical and written examinations focused on the technical choreography of the 5th Dan Kata, it means Alexis is now qualified as a sensei in both judo and jiu-jitsu, something he will continue to use to good effect while guidng his Rainbow Team of students in Phuket.
“We are developing nicely as a team and are currently in just the right place progress wise,” he said. “However, there is still much to learn and much to improve on so we will continue to do so to ensure we create the new generation of champions.”