Black bruises on the face of the female judo gold medalist… angry french

French women’s outrage is growing when a court acquits the French women’s national judo athlete after being subjected to domestic violence.

According to the British media Guardian on the 3rd (local time), Margot Pino (27), who won the gold medal in the mixed team event in judo at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, requested emergency rescue from the police after she suffered domestic violence on the morning of November 28th.

At the time, Pino had a fractured nose and other injuries to his face. It is said that he was assaulted by his boyfriend and judo trainer Alain Schmidt, 38, who he was living with.

“We had an argument over the weekend, and Schmidt tried to strangle him,” Pino said. “I cursed and slammed my head to the ground several times. I managed to escape after being reported by a neighbor.”

Schmidt, on the other hand, countered that “Pino swung his fist first,” stating that his actions were in self-defense. He vehemently denied the charges, saying, “I’ve never hit anyone in my life.”

Prosecutors demanded a year in prison for Schmidt, calling it “very serious violence”. However, the court upheld the verdict of ‘insufficient evidence’.

French citizens were outraged by the court’s decision.

France’s sports minister, Roxana Maracineanu, expressed his support for Pino, saying, “It is clear that Pino was the victim of this.” The French Judo Federation said it was “shocked” by her injury. Two presidential candidates, including the current mayor of Paris, also expressed their support for Pino.

Some judo players also sent messages of support for Pino. Three-time Olympic champion Teddy Liner tweeted public support: “To hear the voices of the victims, we must make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice.”

Hong Min-seong, reporter at Hankyung.com mshong@hankyung.com

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