German athlete Martyna Trajdos defends coach after being slapped on live TV
German Judoka Martyna Trajdos has defended her coach after vision showed showed her being shaken and slapped by her mentor before competing in Tokyo.
Television viewers were left stunned by the vision prior to her loss in the round of 32 clash against Hungary's Szofi Ozbas.
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Before the fight she stopped on the side of the mat and turned to coach Claudiu Pusa, who dropped the bag he was carrying and shook her, before he slapped her on both cheeks. Despite the the backlash, Tradjos urged the public to understand it was at her request.
Martyna Trajdos competing at the Tokyo Olympics, and coach Claudiu Pusa. Getty
"This is what I asked my coach to do so please don't blame him. I need this before my fights to be awake," she told The Telegraph. She further explained her position on social media.
"Looks like this was not hard enough," she said on Instagram.
"I wish I could have made a different headline today," she added.
"As I already said, that's the ritual which I chose pre-competition! My coach is just doing what I want him to do to fire me up."
Trajdos was eliminated after the loss with falling in the round of 16 to Maria Centracchio.
Clarisse Agbegnenou, of France, was the eventual gold medal winner. Tina Trstenjak, of Slovenia, won the silver.
