James
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 12:20 PM |
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2009 European Savate Championships - the results
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=124960
Thanks Fozzie for updating people.
Pleased to say I won a silver medal- as did my girlfriend.
Guess you could say I retained it as I won silver in the 2007 Euros as well. Lost to the same French guy in the final in 2007 as well too!!! 
Day1.
Elimination fights all went well but I took a big kick to the side of the knee in the first round of the final elimination fight (twat from Portugal
who totally lost it) and I tore my hamstring. Went on still to win that fight and come top of the pool though.
Then had a terrible night with a lot of pain and worrying about not being able to fight in day 2.
Day 2
Luckily the fiance of one of the team is a physio. He strapped my knee up with tape and luckily I'd brought with me my metal re-inforced knee
brace. I wore this over the top of the tape and combined with 2.5x the recommended dose of Ibuprofen I barely felt the knee.
All fights went ok, in the semi-final I beat the 'local-boy' a French-trained Spaniard with lots of crowd support.
In the final I was fighting Roma, a French a guy who beat me in the World semi-finals in 2006 (and then won), the Euros final in 2007 and won the
Worlds in 2008.
This guy is amazing, he literally does not put a foot wrong in fighting. I had a few ideas on tactics and was beating him in the close-range boxing
and long-range kicks but he totally dominated the mid-range stuff.
After kicking me in the head 4x in the first round I knew it wasn't going well!!! 
I got better as the fight went on and maybe had round 3 (maybe!) but too late by then! 
So he was a very well-deserved champion.
My girlfriend drew against her French opponent in the eliminations (although many people came to my girlfriend afterwards and said she'd won-
including the cornermen of the French girl!). Bear in mind no-one from GB has ever beaten or even drawn against France before so this was quite
something!
She then met her again in the final fight.
With 5 judges for the final instead of 3 it was *still* declared a draw, so it went to a decision from the ring official. Sadly he picked France
although God knows how. I'm sure it was co-incidence that he was French! 
I shouldn't mention names but I will say that various members of the French delegation told us they'd have picked my girlfriend as winner,
as did senior members of the International Federation! The French girl herself was crying whilst waiting for the result, looking at her Mum and
shaking her head. Clearly thought she'd lost too.
Next year!
GB team didn't do as well as we often do though sadly. Only one other bronze to a female for our medal tally.
The weirdest thing was that instead of french domination as usual (they usually win 10+ of the 16medals in offer) they only one 5 or so golds. Serbia
got 6!
Anyway, this is probably far too long and boring for anyone to be interested! Sorry!
Cheers!
James
[Edited on 16/11/09 by James]
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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pewe
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 12:35 PM |
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Well done, James.
Always good to hear of the French not getting it all their own way.
Both of you just keep going so that next year you'll whoop their asses right and proper.
Cheers, Pewe 
PS some of my best friends are French .... if I can remember which ones!
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Marcus
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 12:42 PM |
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Well done James and Rachel, silver is not to be sniffed at, playing the cheating cheese eating surrender monkeys at their own game!! (lol).
I hope you managed to drink them under the table 
BTW I'm not generally anti French, just when it suits me
Marcus
Because kits are for girls!!
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MikeR
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 12:48 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by James
Anyway, this is probably far too long and boring for anyone to be interested! Sorry!
[Edited on 16/11/09 by James]
Actually quite the opposite. Well done once again & i hope the knee gets better.
p.s. Hope your stomach is ok after the overdose. Side effect of brufen is creating stomach acid - hence the instruction to take it with food.
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nick205
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 12:56 PM |
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Well done to you both and not boring to read at all
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chrsgrain
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 01:05 PM |
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Good effort, shame that the 5 judges couldn't make a decision and it came down to chance....
Impressive results all the same - hope you had a good time.
Chris
Spoing! - the sound of an irony meter breaking...
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Fozzie
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 01:09 PM |
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 CONGRATULATIONS
A VERY BIG 'WELL DONE' TO YOU BOTH!
It sounded quite a weekend for you both......
Hope you are both not too bruised and sore. I suppose it is back to training now for next year.
Not boring at all James, don't ever think that!
Fozzie
Arnica cream is pretty good for bruises.....
'Racing is Life!...anything before or after is just waiting'....Steve McQueen
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James
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 01:59 PM |
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Thanks Foz, thanks all!!!
As for injuries/bruises...
Less injured than previous events- I think this is because after the incident with my knee and the Portuguese guy I had to totally change my game plan
and fight a very defensive style as I coudln't risk taking another kick to the left (usually leading) leg.
Although probably less serious long-term than the ligament damage, but much more painful is that removing the strapping tape (applied to hold my knee
together!) has taken off loads of the skin on the sides and back of the knee. It's really sore!
Unpleasant picture here:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=showphoto&photo=knee_small.JPG
Knee a little swollen too I guess!
Don't want to see a physio yet though as they want to do stuff to it and the skin itself is too sore. So once the skin is healed in a few days I
can get physio.
All a bit annoying as this Sunday I have a choice of entering either League event 1 of the British Savate Championships, or there's a big
TaeKwon-Do competition I want to enter!
Obviously with the skin knackered like this I don't want to put more tape on!
Hopefully the knee brace will work. Off to Sainsbury's for some biiiiig plasters!
Cheers,
James
[Edited on 16/11/09 by James]
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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scootz
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 02:17 PM |
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2009 manky knee
That's not a knee... you've just pinched a still-shot of one of the 'prawns' from the film District 9...
Anyhow... well done on your Silver! Great result! Next year you WILL beat the French dude! YOU WILL!
It's Evolution Baby!
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scootz
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 02:19 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Fozzie
Arnica cream is pretty good for bruises.....
Lol... that's my Mum's stock phrase whenever one of her boys catches a sore one!
It's Evolution Baby!
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James
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 02:25 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by scootz
Anyhow... well done on your Silver! Great result! Next year you WILL beat the French dude! YOU WILL!
Haha! Nice photo!
I did say to him in the bar after that wasn't it time for him to retire! He said he would after next year's Worlds!
Selfish git! Hasn't he got enough!
It's in Paris AFAIK so there'll be lots of support for him.
One pleasing result was that Team GB have 'been noticed' by other federations and you get interesting offers if you do well. Like I went
to Dijon last year for an all expenses paid fight gala- with prize money! Glad to say I won that an actually *made* money for once rather than always
paying out for all this hard work.
We've already had an offer from one of the top French coaches that they'll take some of the top team members and we'll be given a
personal training program.
An actual proper scientific based system with lots of testing for improvement etc. etc.
I'm almost looking forward to the 2010 Worlds already!!!
Cheers,
James
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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scootz
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 02:47 PM |
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I completely agree that the UK lags waaay behind in the manner we address our athletes training needs. As you say, most nations adopt a scientific
approach right from the off to anyone who shows aptitude and determination, but here that's only reserved for the selected few doing the
'right' sports!
It's Evolution Baby!
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Jasper
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 04:15 PM |
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Nice one James and Rachel
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 16/11/09 at 06:14 PM |
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remind me never to pee you or your Mrs off!
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