Progress pleases Lascau

Daniel Lascau: Pleased with Team GB's progress

British Judo performance director Daniel Lascau is pleased with the progress he is making as Team GB's fighters prepare for this summer's Olympics.

Romania-born Lascau has been added to the team to ensure the fighters are at the top of their game come the showpiece event in July.

He won gold at the 1991 World Championships and fought for Germany at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 before going on to become vice-president of the European Judo Union.

The 42-year-old admits it was a 'crisis situation' when he joined and that he has been working on the fighters' technical aspect along with looking for more aggression from the squad.

Situation

"I have been working much more with the planning and organisation, and technical aspect, that we are much more aggressive in the fights and the attitude to go onto the mat as winner."
Daniel Lascau Quotes of the week

"We have to be very open, it was a crisis situation after the World Championships in Paris," explained Lascau.

"I had a very good relationship with the British Judo Association, so we just decided to take a project of 10 months to build a team for the Olympics, to make sure the coaches and the fighters know what they had to do.

"I have been working much more with the planning and organisation, and technical aspect, that we are much more aggressive in the fights and the attitude to go onto the mat as winner."

Lascau continued: "We have two worlds, one which is outside, to prepare for a home Olympics, which is fantastic, with everybody enjoying it, and we have our small judo world where we have to focus on what we have to do.

"It is like a tunnel. I have to put the players and the coaches on the train, then we have to go just one way as quickly as possible - and at the end of the tunnel, is the Olympic Games."

Motivation

The impact of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete at an Olympics on home soil is expected to inspire Team GB athletes to raise their game to another level.

Lascau believes judo will be no different as the 2012 fighters look to emulate Olympic medalist Kate Howey, Nicola Fairbrother, Brian Jacks and two-time Olympic silver medalist Neil Adams by standing on the rostrum at ExCeL come July.

"Having the extra motivation to fight in front of their home public, friends and family is a plus which can make the difference in the very close fights," he said.

"I hope that this will be a factor to win an Olympic medal in London."