‘I aim to give best performance of my career in Paris’

Faye Njie secured his Olympics qualification after securing a continental quota spot after collected enough points.

In an interview with this reporter ahead of the Olympics which kicks off later this month, Faye explained that in judo, the qualification period is two years in which “you have to collect points from competitions that have a qualification status.”

“When I won a bronze medal at African Championships in April in Cairo, I pretty much knew by then that I had secured a continental quota spot as I had collected enough points to be sure that my spot would not be at threat.”

Faye, who will be making his third appearance for The Gambia at the Olympics, expressed delight for securing another qualification to the Olympic Games. However, he said he knew that there is still some work to be done in order to make a good result in Paris.

“I have been doing my final preparation for the Olympics in Italy and I will stay here for another week. The trainings have been very intense and I feel like I am reaching the top form now,” he stated.

He went on to say that, “I have learned that it is just one day among others and there is no need to put extra pressure on it.”

Faye, who is the first Judoka to ever represent The Gambia at Olympics level faced a major injury that forced him to be off the competitions for more than 4 months during the qualification period. Fortunately, he made his comeback just a month before the decisive qualifying competition in Cairo. The injury has recovered completely, he said.

Asked if being the first and only judoka to ever represent The Gambia at Olympics level puts him under any pressure, he said: “I have no pressure on being the only Gambian judoka at the Olympics. I will go on and represent my country as well as I can.”

He advised and encourage young judokas to keep working hard, saying “anything is possible if you work hard for your aims and believe in yourselves.”