Buchanan: Score always beat shidos

38-year-old John Buchanan (GBR), 2001 World bronze medalist still fights and seriously preparing for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. He will tell you what is different in judo in 2001 and now, also he is a massive fan of judo, read more below who were his favourites. We catched him day after he won another bronze medal at the European Cup in Bosnia.

100: Hi John, how’s life, you are the proof that years doesn’t mean anything?

J.B. : Umm, yeah but I feel very sour today, very very sour, it takes longer to heal the older you get. (laughs at the end)

100:  Earlier you mentioned to me that you hope that this medal from the European Cup will be enough to get you at the Commonwealth Games

J.B.: Yes, I think this medal will be enough. It’s my third medal from my last three European Cups, the way that the Scottish selection will take top seven male and top seven female and I hope so that this medal makes me no. seven to qualify.

100: You won yesterday against current silver European medalist, Ludovic Chammartin (SUI), what you say about that ?

J.B.: Yeah, I’ve been watching him, I never knew that he is European silver medalist. When I fought him I knew that he won British Open last year , but when I fought with him I had no idea. I watched him through the day and saw that he is very skillful, looked very strong. Maybe the first two minutes of fight I didn’t thought that I will win, but as fight went on I thought that there is maybe a chance that I could do well and when I scored I thought “I’m on the bike”.

100: In 2001 you won bronze medal at the World Championships in Munich, what is the difference in judo then and now?

J.B.:  Well in my last three European Cups I won a medal, but I also fought in two ECups before that and it was quite hard to get used to on new rules changes, so the main rule fight was that a score always beat shido’s, even if you have three shido’s and you got score an yuko it changes the fight, it changes massively and I think that this is the main difference of judo then and now. Obviously a leg grab, my favourite technique was drop Kata-guruma, but I modified it, scored two time yesterday, my modification was just to use the hands, no leg pick up.

100: It must be quite hard to fight with all off this youngsters, they are quite motivated?

J.B.: They are very motivated, but maybe in third minute they are not so motivated (laughs), which I think that I can capitalize, for my age I have still pretty good fitness and I think my judo style is  quite efficient. Maybe in the beginning they are stronger than me, more explosive, towards the ending of contest I feel it’s getting more even. 

100: Are we going to see you and Euan at the Europeans next year in Glasgow ?

J.B.: No, I’m only going to do the Commonwealth Games (CG). The reason I’ve started competing again after ten years was just because of  the CG which will be in Glasgow and quz it’s one time chance to compete for Scotland. We are both Scottish and this is the reason why he is competing under 100kg category, so he can represent Scotlan at the CG as well. I don’t know if you speak with Euan about the ECh in Glasgow, but I don’t think that he will compete.

100: He told us via twitter “I hope so to do both. As a coach and competitor”.

J.B.:  Okay, player/manager, yeah maybe he will then. I don’t think I will be, there is no too much fuel left in tank, after the CG I will finish again.

100: The best judoka that you fought with during your career ?

J.B.: I fought with many good judokas… The best ??  Probably the Oscar Penas (ESP), I fought him only three times.  I fought him at ECh, at the WCh  and at the Olympic Games. I beat him at the ECh, I beat him at the WCh, but he was  the guy who beat me at the Olympic Games. He was European Champion, he was very strong judoka, very difficult to fight against him because he was so small.

100:  The question that everybody want’s to know, who is your favourite male and female judoka of all the time? 

J.B.: Don’t know, I have many favourites, I’m massive fan of judo. Maybe Kosei Inoue (JPN), who is always trying to throw an ippon, this type of players which are very dynamics, very explosive and want to throw, not just to win fight with shido, they wanna throw for ippons. People like Inoue, Nomura.

100: And female?

J.B.: Auuuuh. Who is a big thrower? Exciting to watch? Maybe Lebrun, she was here today, she was exciting to watch. I watched Decosse at the Worlds in France 2011, amazing. And Japanese girl, Tanimoto, she won against Decosse at the Olympics in 2008. She was very skillful.

100: What about Ryoko Tani ?

J.B.: Super skillfull.

100: My last question. Secret to success ?

J.B.:  The secret to success ?! Umm… Don’t know, never give up I think. I think even I’m old I can still compete. When I was younger I never made into the British team as junior or  as cadet. But if you just keep training and training it will come at the end. 

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