THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2015 SPORTS Summer of love for Automne and Ashley BAKU: French and British judokas Automne Pavia and Ashley McKenzie find it amusing that just over a week after the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, where the Duke of Wellington ended Napoleon’s career, their rela- tionship is rock solid. Indeed McKenzie, the Commonwealth Games champion in the 60kg category, told AFP he is the happiest he has ever been having finally got together with Pavia in Cuba in June last year, 10 years after they first became close at a juniors tournament in Lyon, France. AZERBAIJAN: France’s Ivan Trevejo (left) competes against France’s Daniel Jerent “When you want something and you can’t (right) in the men’s epee individual quarter-final match at the 2015 European Games. have it, you want it even more,” McKenzie said in —AFP an interview alongside Olympic and world bronze medallist Pavia as they prepare to com- pete in the European Games in Baku. “Now I have it I don’t want to let her go.” Taylor relaxed about McKenzie, who has a Jamaican father and an English mother, said his heart skips a beat when his girlfriend competes. fighting Azerbaijani “At the world championships (in Russia last BAKU: Irish boxing superstar Katie Taylor a top class Gaelic footballer, said she would August) when a British team-mate did well I said says she has enough experience of taking not adapt her attacking style to avoid well done as that is what you do,” he said. “But on opponents in their own backyard to not exposing herself to her opponent and when she won her bronze my heart was beating have to worry about her Azerbaijani rival in sewing doubts in the judges minds. so fast because I was so happy. I knew she was the semi-finals of the lightweight category “I don’t really change much, there’s not the one for me. at the European Games. much I can do about the judging in front of “Anyways having managed to keep it quiet The 28-year-old-along with fellow a home crowd,” said Taylor. “I go into every since June that year the next day it went public Olympic gold medalists Jade Jones and fight trying to win as easy as I can. I’m not because we were seen holding hands in the sta- Nicola Adams the highest profile athletes in going to dium,” added McKenzie, who in three days time will celebrate along with Pavia their first year Baku-spoke after easing her way into the change anything really, I’m just going to AZERBAIJAN: French judoka Automne Pavia (left) and her boyfriend British judoka Ashley together. semi-finals with a unanimous decision over focus on my own performance and hope- McKenzie pose for pictures during an interview with AFP at the 2015 European Games. —AFP rising Swedish star Ida Lundblad on fully everything will go well.” However, Pavia stopped regular contact with McKenzie Wednesday. Taylor said 27-year-old Alekseevna would when she had a relationship with a fellow French Taylor, who has not lost in four years, be no pushover. judoka for several years, but said McKenzie was said it was down to her to outbox Yana “I’ve boxed her a couple of times before,” very good for her, especially when she com- Alekseevna and quieten the passionate said Taylor. “I boxed her in the finals of the petes. European Games blueprint Baku crowd. Several beaten fighters have world championships last year and a few “He is almost too good to be true,” she said. complained of home competitors getting months ago. It was a very, very close con- “He makes me a calmer person. He lets me has won over doubters the rub of the green in the judging perhaps test then and I expect it to be another close breathe, but he is always there waiting for me at influenced by the noise of the spectators. one. the end of competition.” BAKU: The inaugural European Games has president Svein Arne Hansen that there could “I’ve boxed many people in their own “She’s very clever and, as I said, these are For McKenzie, who also won European won over the doubters, even with low profile be a more high-profile format for track and backyard plenty of times - in China I boxed the kind of fights that I love to box - such a bronze in 2013, Pavia’s human qualities are as athletics and swimming events, and its con- field at the next Games in four years’ time. a Chinese girl in the final of the world big fight against the home nation. I’m really important to their relationship as the fact they cept will pave the way for future successful “We were happy with what we had and we championships and I’ve boxed Russians looking forward to it.” share a similar regime. editions, European Olympic Committees had hoped to improve on it in 2019,” Hickey before in their home nation as well,” said Taylor, who is coached by her father “My past girlfriends I would have three days president Patrick Hickey told Reuters. said. “I have a good relationship with Svein the erudite pugilist, who also has five world Peter, said that the bronze medal would to reduce my weight before a competition and Over 6,000 athletes and 20 sports, includ- and the two of us agreed on finding a way and six European crowns to her name. not suffice especially at a Games for whom they would be sitting there eating McDonalds,” ing the innovative 3 x 3 basketball which forward to have a meaningful athletics event “I’m going to enjoy it, the atmosphere is she has been a high-profile ambassador. he said. “Automne and I are similar, we love eat- appeals to younger audiences, feature at the in 2019. They are fully co-operative on his going to be fantastic. It’s going to be such a “I’m not settling for a bronze medal, I ing snails, we cook together and do other things multi-sport Games in the Azeri capital which side, fully on our side... there is room for both tough contest, but these are the kind of always come into these competitions hop- together. ends on Sunday. sides to do something innovative.” fights that I cherish.” ing for a gold medal so I won’t really relax “She cares about her family (she has seven “The first Games are on the way to being Taylor, an all round sportswoman who until I have a gold medal around my neck,” brothers and sisters and the family home is in extremely successful,” Irishman Hickey, the CHEAP AND CHEERFUL has also played for Ireland in football and is she said. —AFP Carcassonne) and judo. She doesn’t smoke, main driving force behind the creation of the The Netherlands pulled out of hosting the wants to be a TV star and is very romantic. Games, said in an interview at the iconic next edition days before the opening cere- “She is not a party girl and doesn’t want to Flame Towers complex with its sweeping mony in Baku because the Dutch govern- stay out all night in clubs. “I think, though, she is views of the Caspian Sea. ment decided it would be a financial burden. a bit more crazy than I am!” “We had our doubters because in the But Hickey said each Games going forward The reference to television, though, does beginning because people said this is a new would not be identical in terms of size, infra- expose a rare bone of contention for the loving product and could not work but I remind structure and resources, with oil-rich duo-while Pavia, who once wanted to be a everyone that the Asian Games, which is the Azerbaijan able to pour hundreds of millions weather girl, declined a spot on French reality TV most successful continental games, started of dollars into building stadiums. “Baku is show ‘Secret Story’, McKenzie accepted to go on with seven sports and I think they now have completely different to what the next Games ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ in 2012. something like 47. will be like, they have Olympic ambitions and “It’s complicated for me because I don’t “The biggest value is we were the only want to make another bid in the future. The accept them (the offers),” says Pavia. “It doesn’t continent without a continental games and Netherlands, the concept they had was differ- please me that he does the opposite.” However, we have no history here, every sport was con- ent... it was a cheap and cheerful Games. McKenzie feels he has no choice because his cerned with their own European champi- “What we said eight years ago remains the financial circumstances are so different-while the onships. same. We tailor the Games to the host city we French are generous to their judokas, it is the “Now we have created a concept of all are dealing with. If they have sports they opposite for their British rivals. “Celebrity Big teams travelling together and living in the favour, we let those sports in.” Brother it was just about the money; They offer one Olympic village and the feedback we Seven candidates have emerged to you so much,” said McKenzie, who came upon have got is this is a great practice run for the replace the Dutch and the fact that the next judo when his mother tired of him hanging Olympic Games for European athletes and edition would have more resonance for around the streets near their London home trad- teams to travel together.