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Less than 48 hours after landing in Paris, Australia’s sole Para-judoka competitor, 26-year-old Taylor Gosens, hit the training mats ahead of her first Paralympic Games to release tension, work up a sweat and blow out the cobwebs with her coach, Elliot Stewart.
Practising her signature moves including foot sweeps and Ouchis – a large inner leg reap to throw your competitor backwards – Gosen’s love of judo is clear to see, lighting up when she talks about the sport and her passion to compete.
“It’s the toughness that I love – judo is mentally tough and physically tough,” Gosens remarked as she collected her breath and acknowledged her bruises on the mat post training.
“When you throw someone, it just feels nice, it’s the best feeling when it’s smooth and you feel them go over – it’s like a drug and you get this rush of adrenalin.
“The most nervous bit of competing is the walkout. They call your name, and all eyes are on you, then you hit the mats, start throwing and muscle memory kicks in, and I think ‘this is fun’.”
When Gosens steps into Champ de Mars Arena to represent Australia in the J2 70kg+ category on Saturday, she’ll become only the second woman after Desiree Allan to pull on the green and gold in Paralympic judo – a moment not lost on the debutant.
“While I’ll be nervous to represent Australia at my first Paralympics, I am feeling really good and also proud to have my name up there alongside Desiree, Wayne and Tony, it’s really cool,” Gosens said.
Gosens will not only follow in the footsteps of Allan, but also her father, Gerrard Gosens.
Gosens senior competed at three Games, once in goalball and twice in athletics and remains an active adventurer having recently attempted to swim the English Channel; his competitive nature has been instilled in his daughter.
“I think I’m competitive and my brother was the same, we were competitive with each other, so dad’s trait definitely rubbed off on us,” she said.
“We used to wrestle a lot at home and then at Christmas time when we caught up with our cousins, who were like brothers, it would be the same. You’d hear our uncle call out ‘don’t hurt each other’ because we were just wrestling the whole time.
“I also think I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and I get that from my dad, always trying reach for the best I can be and doing the best I can.”
Judo is the only martial art sport on the program in Paris and only athletes with vision impairment are eligible to compete. Regulation time is four minutes, with the aim to either gain more points than your opponent by skilful attacks or score the “ippon” by throwing them with their back on the ground, immobilising them or forcing a submission.
It follows the same rules as Olympic judo, however there is one difference at the Paralympics; judokas hold each other’s suits at the start and throughout combat.
Born with her father’s congenital eyesight condition, Gosens said this Games experience was all about familiarising herself with the environment and soaking it all in as she prepares to take on Cuba’s Sheyla Hernandez Estupinan in her first match-up on Saturday.
“It is a little bit overwhelming, there’s a lot of new people and new environments and it takes a bit longer for vision impaired people to go to new places and recognise new sounds,” she said.
“I do put a lot of pressure and expectations on myself and of course I’ll go out and try my best for Australia, but for me at this Games, I’ll walk away happy and content if I really absorb the experience, take in the all the new sounds and have fun.
“I know I’ll be the underdog, but my coach and I want to use this opportunity to help me prepare for my next international tournament and look ahead to LA in 2028.”
Gosens’ coach Stewart – who hails from the UK – is a Paralympic judoka silver medallist himself, having secured second spot on the podium for Great Britain in the men’s -90kg weight class at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Since moving to Australia in January with his young family to coach Gosens, he has been impressed by her progress and natural ability.
“Taylor only took up Judo four years ago and started competing internationally in 2023, and in judo that is insane,” Stewart said.
“People that come to these Games and compete in this level of judo have been training for 15 to 20 years to get to this point, so for Taylor to be here after only four years is an incredible achievement in itself.”
A keen musician with a passion for music, Gosens said finding the right songs to listen to before she heads out to compete is important.
“I love listening to rock, some people listen to calming music, but my nerves make me really still, so I need something that’s going to ramp me up and really get me going.”
With AC/DC and Kylie Minogue heard pumping at different venues across Paris, we’re sure Gosens will feel right at home and energised as she prepares to pull on her Judogi and represent Australia at her maiden Games.
Watch the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the 9Network and 9Now live and free, and on Stan Sport from August 28 to September 8.
By: Danielle Balales, Paralympics Australia
Published: 5 September 2024
