Kayla Harrison wants to be the best ever judoka

Olympic and World Champion, Kayla Harrison visited England and completed her first master class in Europe. She had the opportunity to spread her knowledge across hundreds of British youngsters at the Camberley Judo Club. 

Camberley Judo Club (CJC) is based in the heat of Surrey, England and has 30 years’ experience and balances a friendly and recreational social club with elite success perfectly. CJC is open all year round and even offer children’s camps in school holidays.

Did you enjoy your visit at the CJC?

“Yes, absolutely; it was seriously loads of fun. The kids were fun and it was great to teach them. Also, the Camberley Judo Club’s elite team is full of grafters, very hard worker team. I like the atmosphere I like the team spirit here everyone is really close and everyone trains hard and works hard. It is really great. On the mat they all mean business and after training they get together for a meal as a team. I really like this atmosphere I think it is important for training too. Everyone feeds of each other, if someone is working hard the other will have to step it up and they constantly pushing each other to get which is really good for training and in the team.”

What is your overall opinion about European Judo?

“I think if you look at the last Olympic and the results of some of the big tournaments than you can see that European Judo is really started to come on strong. In London, three Russian gold and only one Japanese gold medal whilst before that it was so many. European judo is various and I like that. Russian players are different to French players who are very different to the German players, and they are different to for example the Hungarian players. You get a really interesting mix when you bring the Europeans into Judo and I really like that. It is really challenging if you fighting but it makes it exciting to watch.”

Let’s talk a bit about you and about the World Championships passed by few weeks ago. Looking back, are you pleased with the bronze medal?

“I had reconstructed knee surgery last year so I had a year off from judo and I only really started the preparation for the World Championships in April and I only had four tournaments before.” After all, finishing third in the world I think I am on the right track for Rio. Everything is about Rio for me. I mean obviously the World Championships is the hardest tournament before the Olympics, but in the USA the Olympic Games is more prestigious. So that’s the one.”

What are your main targets next year?

“Everything is focused on Rio. If I had to pick a tournament, I never won the Paris Grand Slam and I would love to win that. Paris GS is an amazing tournament with educated crowd; it is always great to fight there. They understand judo and it makes it loads of more fun to fight. I also really like Tokyo, I never won that either so that would be my second choice. But all these competitions for me are practice. We don’t have many bodies on the mat in the USA especially not girls, I always train with boys so when I go to the tournament it is about practice and getting into it … for me, now, it is making the final comfortable settings. Before the London 2012 Olympics I fought every World Cups, every Grand Slams and every Grand Prix over and over again and I started to get into the finals more and more and more, so it became comfortable for me. If I didn’t make the finals I wasn’t feeling good. So I want that feeling again, getting back in to the mind-set of being in the final.”

What do you think what it takes to became an Olympic Champion?

“I think there is no…. You know if you look at me and look at…. there is nothing special about me. I mean there is no secret thing to become a champion. It is formula. It takes loads of hard work and it takes loads of experience and defeat. You have to lose a lot of times before you win. If you’re willing to put in the hard work and you’re willing to do what you told you can be a champion. It is not about practicing….everyone is practicing, but it is about practicing with purpose. Every day, I go on the mat I think about what I am going to be working on and I think about what I need to do in order to succeed. Maybe the only different thing about me it is that I am mentally training too and practising. The night before my fight I would visualise myself what I am going to do, and I would visualise myself winning, so by the time I get there my mind has gone through it. It is the same as practising on the mat but I am practising in my mind.”

“…to do it once, it is really really hard, but to do it twice… you are one of the best ever… and that’s what I want…”

Do you have any hobbies?

“Judo - she laughs… I do like reading a lot, but I am actually quite busy on the daily basis I have loads of projects going on. I have started a foundation (Fearless), I am working on a clothing line. I am also going to be in a movie so it is a bit hectic and I am usual when I am not training I am busy doing something in order to help with those projects.”

Can you give us an insight view of the movie?

“Yes of course. So it is going to be like a biopic (biographical) movie. It is about this woman called, Rusty Kanakogi, and she is basically in America known as the mother of judo. In the 50s in America woman were basically not allowed to leave the kitchen, their job was to stay at home and make dinner and clean the house and she wasn’t like that. She was very different and she was actually doing judo. She has an amazing life story. She went to a tournament, dressed up as a boy and won the tournament. When they find out she was a girl they took her medal away and she spent the rest of her life fighting with the International Olympic Committee to have female judo as an Olympic Sport and as we know in 1992 it became an Olympic sport. So without her I would not have my gold medal and being able to do judo, and so the movie is about her life and I will be her in the movie. For me it is a huge honour, she is one of my heroes and for me it is a way of carry on her legacy. It is kind of my way to be able to give back to her. I am really excited about it.”

So when are we going to see you on the red carpet?

“Well, we will start filming next year and the movie hopefully done just before the Olympics.”

You have done it all… World Champion.. Olympic Champion… what keeps you motivated?

“You know what, I only had two goals in my life is to be World Champion and Olympic Champion… that’s what I wanted to do with my career. After the Olympics I really had to decide if it was what I wanted to do again and because… you are right… sometimes I wasn’t so motivated and there were times asked myself ‘what’s the point?’… but THAT feeling is worth the six hours of training… that feeling being the best in the World. You are literally high on life, there is no greater feeling than that. You know, I honestly think judo that is my purpose. This is what I am good at and this is what I am meant to do. I want to leave a legacy behind when I finish judo. I want to be the best in the world, not just in America, but in the world. That’s what I want.”

Let’s move the time forward… 2016 Rio Olympics… two times Olympic Champion, Kayla Harrison… What would that gold medal mean to you compare to the first you won if London?

“I think that if I win in Rio, I will feel complete. I will feel that I am the best ever. There are not many two times Olympic Champions in Judo, so to do it twice… to do it once, it is really really hard, but to do it twice… you are one of the best ever… and that’s what I want.”

Kayla will be in action next at the Abu-Dhabi Grand Slam.

Follow her on Twitter: @judo_kayla

Website: www.kaylaharrison.com

Facebook: Kayla Harrison – Olympic & World Champion

To visit Camberley Judo Club here.