The Aerospace Engineering student at Técnico, João Fernando, recently became national judo champion in the -73 kg category for the third time in a row. The Técnico student and athlete from Sporting Clube de Portugal (SCP) revalidated the title in a “quite unusual time”, as he himself defines it. The judoka has no doubt that it was hard work that made the difference in recent seasons, leading him to win his third title.

“This year, because of the pandemic, judo was ‘stopped’, since during confinement, until shortly after, there was no possibility of practicing the sport”, recalls João Fernando. “Fortunately, the Portuguese Judo Federation managed to organize internships that have been taking place since June. In compliance with the necessary safety standards stipulated by the DGS [Direção-Geral da Saúde] two competitions were also held, the last of which was the national championship”, he states.

Judo has been a passion for João Fernando for many years, which gradually grew each time he put on the kimono. “I started practicing when I was 5 years old, because my father had also practiced, but before the first training session I had no idea what kind of sport it was. As I evolved, I became more and more competitive and I never even imagined giving up sport”. When, in 2018, he came to study at Técnico, the young athlete, born in Coimbra, would also end up taking on another exciting challenge: that of being an SCP athlete.

There are several benefits associated with practicing sport, and judo is no exception. João Fernando does not hesitate to point out some of the added values associated with this modality: “judo essentially promotes respect for those around us, for the formalities that are imposed on us in training and competitions and which become natural behaviors with the passing of time.”

The Aerospace Engineering student admits that it is not easy “to be a high-performance judo athlete simply because it is a sport with relatively little visibility in Portugal”.

Regarding the difficulties of reconciling the demands of the Técnico with the dedication required of a highly competitive athlete, the Aerospace Engineering student confesses that it has not been easy, “but as time went by it became easier to manage my short-term and medium term priorities”. Over these two years, he never felt the need to give up sport to achieve good academic results. “With willpower and some patience I can achieve my goals, whether in judo or in studies”, says the three-time champion.