Meet Emilie Sook
– Sport: Judo
– Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
– Check out her Facebook – Instagram
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Hello Emilie, tell us a little bit about you and what you do.
My name is Emilie and I am a 20-year-old judoka.
I started doing judo at the age of 6, when my dad brought me to the local judo club. I actually wanted to be a gymnast, but I fell in love with the sport since I stepped on the mat for the first time and I have been so, ever since. Today I am on the Danish national team. I live in Copenhagen and study financial psychology at the Copenhagen Business School.
What is your schedule like and how many days do you train a week?
I train judo 6 times a week and besides that, I have three times weight training and 3 times cardio training.
How is running part of your training?
I run three times every week. In Judo, you need to be very explosive, so I do a lot of interval/sprint training. I also run longer distances, but never more than 45 minutes duration.
Do you run with music and what keeps you going?
Well, yes and no. When doing sprints, I never run with music. I like to use my running training as mental training as well, where I try to visualize and keep my focus. I also like to run with music sometimes to “get my mind off”. When running with music, I feel that “happy dance music” can get my pace up.
What are your biggest achievements so far?
I recently moved from the U21 age category to the seniors – 2016 has been my first year in the senior category.
In the U21 category, I have won six European cup medals (2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze) and ended 2015, ranked number 12 on the U21 world-ranking list.
In September, I won my first “bigger” senior medal: I won my first world cup medal (bronze) which I see as one of my biggest achievements so far. I had already won medals at the senior European cups but to win a world cup medal was a “step up”. This medal was also the first world cup medal for my country in 14 years.
And finally, can you tell us a little bit about your projects for the next two years?
My main goal are the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games ! The qualification starts in 18 months and to prepare for that, it is crucial for me to continuously participate in training camps and competitions.
Judo is a sport that requires a lot of travelling and the fact that judo is a very small sport in Denmark makes it even more important for me to compete in other countries in order to develop myself as a judo athlete. In 2016 alone I have attended tournaments and training camps in more 10 different countries, in- and outside Europe.
Unfortunately I am a self-funded athlete and I pay everything myself; flights, accommodation and entry-fees and am always looking for encouraging sponsors!
On shorter terms, I hope to already qualify for the senior World Championships in Budapest in 2017!
Emilie thank you for your time and all the best for your future projects!
